Parent love
by SilverandRed
Summary: Mandarin turns Chiro into a baby robot monkey and Antauri and Nova act as parents to take care of him. i do not own srmthfg. 4th challenge of Aunna's! Chapter 26 is here!
1. the transformation

Chapter one:

"Ha ha, very funny, Sprx," Chiro said sarcastically as he glared at the pilot.

"Chill, kid! It's only a joke! After all, it IS April Fools!" Sprx replied, after a failed attempt to stifle his giggles.

"It's not everyday I walk into a room and get covered in honey and chicken feathers and a cone on my mouth which I had a very hard time taking it out,"

"It's a joke, kid! And Otto's responsible for the idea!"

"And jokes are supposed to be funny."

"Then I'll call it a prank,"

"A prank to make me look like a CHICKEN! Honestly, Sprx. Is this really necessary?"

"…Maybe…"

"I swear that I'll get my revenge!" the teen scowled playfully at the hot shot. "After I wash off all the honey!"

"I'll be waiting, kid!" Sprx called out as he walked out of Chiro's bedroom. The teen could still here laughter after the pilot left.

"Sprx… I swear…"

It took Chiro hours to pluck all the feathers and wash of all the honey, with the help of Antauri and Nova, of course.

"What happened, Chiro?" Anaturi asked as he and Nova came to check on the teen that evening. The pair was shocked to see Chiro in his 'chicken state'.

"Got pranked by Sprx," the teen groaned, still trying to pluck of a simple feather on his cheek.

"You got yourself in a sticky situation, huh, Chiro?" Nova raised an eyebrow.

"Kinda,"

The gold monkey chuckled.

"Let's help you wash your clothing while you go get a shower, ok?" she said, her pink orbs staring at the boy playfully.

"Ya sure?" Chiro asked, making uneasy.

"We are sure, Chiro. Now go do what Nova says, and leave the rest to us." Anatauri said, smiling at Chiro.

"If you say so," the teen shrugged.

"Uhh… honey is so sticky!" Nova complained as Chiro took his shower. "Sprx and Otto owe us big time,"

"You know how playful they are. They're just acting like themselves," Antauri agreed, eyeing at Chiro's stained shirt.

"But honestly, couldn't they put water or something? Is honey really necessary?"

"By their point of view, it is,"

"I'm so gonna beat the scrap outta them. Finally! The last feather is unplucked!"

The silver monkey smiled. He took the shirt and put in the (extra) sink.

"I will wash it up." He offered, damping the shirt with water.

"Need help?" Nova asked. "It is quite sticky."

"I believe I can handle this myself."

"Ok. I'm gonna find Sprx and Otto."

"No violence, Nova."

"Don't worry- there won't be any violence."

'They're such good parents,' Chiro thought as he dried himself with the towel. After putting on a fresh new shirt and pants, he went up to the roof of the robot, finding Antauri there.

"Well, that was fast, Tauri." The teen said as Antauri stared up into the night time sky.

"It wasn't. You simply took a long time to shower." The silver monkey stated.

"How long did I shower?"

"Fifty minutes."

"Oh…" the teen said, gazing up at the sky. "Look! A shooting star!"

Sure enough, there was a shooting star. It lit up the dark blue sky.

"I wish…I could give Sprx and Otto a big surprise tomorrow, for payback." Chiro wished. "Especially if I could turn into a robot monkey."

"Revenge is not everything, Chiro." Antauri stated.

"Yea, but still… it'd be fun. Ya know, I just wanna see the look on their faces."

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"I heard everything. And I'm going to grant your wish as easy as that. And mark my words, you'll be surprised. Very surprised."

With a flick of a switch, there was a bright light and everything was silent.

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Chapter 2:

He hardly ever slept at night. Antauri mostly meditated, and sometimes, he would just recharge or put in a new energy cell.

But tonight was different. He sensed that something was going to happen. Something bad.

"I'd better go check on Chiro…" he muttered to no one in particular. But he wasn't expecting of what awaited him. When he reached Chiro's bedroom door, he heard…a baby… crying?

Antauri phased through the door and found a small hump in one of Chiro's blankets. He lifted the blanket and saw a black baby robot monkey.

"Monkey team, I need you to report to Chiro's room immediately…" Antauri said as he picked up the baby. It had orange stripes down its cheeks, baby blue eyes and a mini orange scarf around it's neck.

"A-antauri!" it squeaked. "Me… Chiro…"

Chiro's voice was a voice of a two year old who had learn how to talk. By now, the other monkeys rushed in, wondering why their second-in-command called them in the middle of the night.

"Aww… he's so cute! I didn't know you adopted a black monkey, Tauri!" Otto said.

"I didn't adopt it, Otto. This monkey is… our leader." Antauri replied.

"Chiro?" Gibson asked in disbelief.

"Yes."

Sprx noticed something on Chiro's forehead.

"Hey, look at that mark! Its…the color of Nova's fur…" he said, pointing to a small, golden mark on Chiro's black fur.

"Indeed, it is. I'll just have to analyze him for weapons. Meanwhile, go get some sleep. I'll tell you my results in the morning." Gibson said, scooping up Chiro in his arms.

The blue monkey left the room and walked briskly to his lab.

*In the lab*

"How odd…" Gibson murmured as he studied his high-tech computer. "He has no asthma, no allergies, but somehow… I can't seem to find his age…"

Chiro giggled. He absent- mindedly grabbed a tube of orange goo and pointed to it.

"Mandaarine…" he giggled. "Daady."

"Careful there! It could be dangerous!" the scientist said as he snatched away the chemical/goo.

He placed Chiro on a table and pulled out a weird looking machine and it analyzed Chiro's hands.

A shape slowly transformed and… it revealed his weapons.

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"Ya got anything to share, brainstrain?" he urged the scientist impatiently.

"Indeed, I do."

"So…what's up?"

"He's weapons are sword and shield…. He is completely healthy and he can spit saliva on you whenever you irritate him,"

Sprx burst out laughing.

"Guess you're one of his targets, huh?"

"Shut up, Sparky," Gibson growled under his breath, inaudible by the other teammates.

"So… sword and shield… doesn't that sound familiar to you… too familiar?" Nova asked as she rubbed he chin thoughtfully.

"It might be a coincidence…" Otto piped up.

"Don't you think it's too much of a coincidence?" Nova said as she turned to the mechanic.

"But Mandarin is related…to us… he was our bro, remember?"

"He WAS,"

Mandarin chuckled. It was all going according to plan, and it was his chance to eliminate his siblings once and for all.

Now with Chiro working by his side, the orange monkey had absolutely NOTHING to worry about…


	2. no title avaible

"He he he…" the baby softly giggled as he saw Otto making funny faces at him.

"C'mon, Chiro! That's not the best you can do, right?" Otto said, pulling another face.

Chiro clapped his hands in glee.

Otto smiled at patted him.

"You're even cuter than thingy!" he squeled.

Gibson walked in.

"Sorry to disturb your tea party, but I have some disturbing news." He said, glancing at the pair.

"What's wrong?" Otto asked, his face turning serious all of a sudden.

"Skeleton King hasn't attacked in weeks, Otto. Don't you find that… suspicious?"

"Nope! Math isn't my type! I don't bother counting days, Gibson."

"I meant… isn't it suspicious that our arch nemesis hasn't attacked Shuggazoom for a long time?"

'Oh… yea. He'll probably attack now- woah!"

The robot shook viciously as the hot cup of tea spilled on the floor.

"Yay! An attack! I've been bored for weeks!" Otto cried happily. The scientist was shocked by his comrade's behavior. The pair nodded and ran to the command center, realizing that the other monkeys weren't there.

"Where's Antauri?" Otto said as he looked at the deserted command center.

"I'm right here, Otto." A calm voice answered. "And, Skeleton King isn't attacking."

"But what about that tremor that happened a few moments ago?" Gibson asked.

"Shuggazoom's biggest rocket was going for a test drive."

The scientist looked dumbfounded. Otto, however, took advantage of this.

"Gibson's confused! Gibson's confused! Gibson's confused!" he shouted, dancing around in circles. A light shade of pink started appearing on Gibson's fur.

"Well, yes. Where is Chiro?"

"Uh oh…"

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"I can't find him!"Otto yelled, clearly panicking.

"But he was in your room a few minutes ago!" Gibson said, glaring at his green comrade.

"But he's GONE!"

"Do something before Nova or Antauri finds out!"

"Too late, Gibson…" Otto said as he stared at the silver and gold figures at the door. "We are so dead…"

Nova glared at both the scientist and mechanic.

"Am I missing something?" she asked sarcastically.

"Nope! Nothing! You're missing nothing at all!" Otto said, trying to keep his tone cheerful.

"Aha… then where's Chiro?"

"He went to the bathroom!"

"He isn't potty trained!"

"Umm… then he went to the playground!"

"He doesn't even know where the playground is!"

Nova shushed Otto up before the mechanic could even think of another excuse.

"You lost him, didn't you?" she growled.

The green simian knew he had to face the music soon.

"Yes, I lost him…" he said softly, filled with remorse.

"Good."

The blue and green simians stared at Nova in shock.

"What do you mean by 'good'?" Gibson asked.

"He's right here." Nova pointed to Antauri's arms.

Right there, there was a baby sleeping peacefully.

"I need you to get or make a milk bottle for Chiro." The female ordered.

"And you, just make sure that milk is save for Chiro." She pointed at Gibson.

"Yes, right away!" the pair said before they sped off. Nova smiled in satisfication.


	3. Flashbacks

Me: Hi! I know I haven't updated in a while, so here is chapter 4! Ta da! And I'm making it longer as a make up gift.

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"Calm down, Chiro!" Nova tried in vain to hush the bawling toddler, but all she got was more bawling.

"I don't remember Otto bawling this loud before, though he was very close…" Sprx chuckled as he recalled the incident.

"Wow, Sprx, that was ages ago, and I can't believe you still have that memory." Nova said, turning to Sprx.

"How can I forget?" the pilot said. "The alchemist took forever to calm him down, along with Captain Shuggazoom."

"Yea, it was pretty funny," Nova admitted. The gold simian suddenly became oblivious to Chiro's bawling and flashbacked at the memory.

*Flashback starts*

It was Halloween and Shuggazoom had spooky decorations hung on almost every lamppost. Everyone was celebrating happily, and so was the hyper force, and they were in the Alchemist's lab with Captain Shuggazoom. Each member was doing their own thing: Antauri and Mandarin were hanging decorations; Sprx and Otto were cooking up a big mess in the kitchen, while Nova and Gibson were helping the Alchemist carve expressions on pumpkins. As for Captain Shuggazoom… he was browsing through one of the Alchemist's books, totally absorbed in it.

"Check this out," the hero said, flipping to a certain page covered with dust. "It has all sorts of poems about Halloween! Like this one:

**Oh no, not again, the time is near, ****  
****It always happens at this time of year. ****  
****The hissing of unlucky black cat, ****  
****And overhead all the screeching bats.****  
****When gone completely is the sun, ****  
****The vampires come out to have some fun. ****  
****Witches stir their cauldrons or grab onto a broom, ****  
****Casting spells and cackling as they fly across the moon. ****  
****Skeletons dance around shaking all their bones, ****  
****Playing many strange tunes on all their xylophones. ****  
****Ghosts and goblins join the fun too, ****  
****Running about and shouting out BOO! ****  
****Jack-o-lanterns smiling and burning bright, ****  
****Don't worry it's just another Halloween Night."**

The Alchemist sighed. His friend was always the same Happy-go-lucky type, serious only when there was a monster attacking Shuggazoom. Suddenly, a howl of a wolf was heard, causing the monkeys to jump in fright. They huddled together, teeth chattering.

"It's the curse of NEBULA!" the captain gasped, beckoning the monkeys to come to him. Slowly, the monkeys walked towards the captain.

"What curse?" the Alchemist asked impatiently, a little spooked out himself.

"A long time ago, Nebula was one of the prettiest girls of all, but everyone thought that she was a witch in disguise, because on Halloween night, evil laughter could be heard coming from her house. And than rumors started going around, saying that a witch's shadow could be seen at the 5th window of her mansion, and than a howl of a wolf could be heard. So, the villagers burned Nebula to death, and before she died, she said a curse that whoever heard the wolves howl, will suffer the same fate as her…"

Otto was shivering with fright, and the alchemist had to take forever to convince him that there was no Nebula under his bed. After Otto started to doze off, he felt something tickling his toe, which was actually Sprx having a nightmare. Than Otto threw a tantrum and the hyper force had to take three whole hours just to calm him down.

*Flashback Ends*

Chiro fell asleep after Otto fed it with milk.

"Were you bad mouthing me?" the green monkey asked.

"Nope. We were just having a good old flashback," Sprx said, smiling like its no one else's business.

"Aha…" Otto said, not sounding convinced. "By the way, you're on diaper duty today, Sprx,"

"No way!" the red simian said, snatching the list of duties, reading it over and over again, trying to believe what he was seeing.

"_What you see is what you get, Sprx,_" Nova said, emphasizing the sentence.

"Ughh…" the pilot groaned. "Why me?"

"Cuz you are the only one who hasn't done it." Otto pointed out.

"Good point," said Sprx sarcastically.

"C'mon, it isn't that bad!" Nova convinced the red monkey.

"Fine, but you owe me one!" Sprx said, starting to unclip the diaper in disgust.

Nova and Otto snickered before going for patrol duty.


	4. I'm in a hurry no time to think of title

"Try again. What is 500x120-4+23?"

Chiro cocked his head in confusion. He stared at Gibson. "Vour thousand?"

"No, No, NO! Not even close!" the blue-furred scientist was practically pulling his hair, I mean fur, out. Chiro clapped his hands, as if he enjoyed annoying Gibson. Sprx walked past, smirking.

"Chiro's on my side, bird brain!" he said.

"We'll see who's the bird brain here. What is 5+15-10?" Gibson challenged.

"Umm… four thousand?" Sprx guessed. Gibson smacked his forehead with his hand.

"Look, you need to start on something simpler… like," the pilot turned to Chiro. "What is one plus one?"

"Two!" the baby monkey replied, giggling.

"You see? The kid's smart."

"Smarter than you, at least…" Gibson murmured.

"I think the kid got enough of math today. I don't need another Gibson lecturing me," Sprx said, picturing Chiro wearing glasses and carrying a thick encyclopedia.

"Anyway, Antauri needs you to find a cure for Chiro, like, ya know, make a random chemical," the pilot said.

"Fine. Now leave before you blow something up."

But it was too late. Sprx had poured a green chemical inside the pink tube, and poured in another blue one. Then… BOOM!

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"S-P-R-X-7-7! YOU ARE DEAD!" Gibson yelled after they walked out of the lab with Chiro. The baby started bawling and was handed over to Antauri and Nova. That's it. Gibson totally lost it. And I mean LOST IT.

"C'mon, it was an accident!" Sprx protested.

"THAT'S THE SAME EXCUSE YOU AND OTTO USE WHEN YOU BLOW UP MY LAB! CAN'T YOU BE MORE MATURE FOR ONCE?"

The scientist stormed back to his room, shut the door, leaving the poor red simian behind, staring blankly on the floor. Than, a thought came to his mind that made him gasp.

'_Apologize'. _No way. That's not going to happen. The pilot never apologized to Gibson in his life. '_Maybe that's what he meant by immature. I'm too embarrassed to apologize to my own brother…'_

Slowly, Sprx trudged back to his room, his footsteps echoing in the empty command centre.

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"The milk isn't calming him down, and he just got his diaper changed. I never knew taking care of a baby was _this troublesome_." Nova said, resisting the urge to groan out loud. Her paper-thin patience wasn't doing her any good right now.

"Let's look things at the other angle. He may be tired, after all the 'excitement'." Antauri said hopefully. He watched as Nova takes a CD out of a dusty box. She placed it in a CD player.

"Those were the things that the Alchemist left behind… I wish we could do some time traveling and change the future… convince Mandarin not to rule over Shuggazoom, and than everything would be back to normal. Mandarin was a very good leader, but he wasn't perfect. Nobody is." Nova said, staring into space as if she herself could travel to the past and change everything. "But too bad. If Mandarin wasn't evil, than Chiro wouldn't have awakened us. But I miss the past sometimes, and sometimes I sit and wonder if I could go back and make up for all my mistakes. And I wish the curator would come back and transport us to the eighteenth century. We could learn all about the history of Shuggazoom, and," she paused as a soft lullaby began to play from the ancient CD player. "And if I really could go back in time and change everything, I would be the happiest female monkey in the whole world. We would have absolutely nothing to worry about. No monsters, no villains, nothing. Shuggazoom would be a crime-free place. But if there were no monsters, I would be bored to death, and Shuggazoom wouldn't need us anymore..."

Antauri listened carefully to everything Nova said, but he kept quiet. Chiro began to close his eyes and suck his thumb, falling into a fitful sleep after that. Nova left the room. Antauri smiled warmly at the cute sight of Chiro.

"Sleep well, my son," he said softly before leaving the room. He thought about everything Nova had said.

'_Go back to the past and change everything…' _those few words lingered in his mind. Time travel was dangerous, but why not give it a shot? The silver monkey turned around and walked towards Otto's room.

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Frustrated, angry, upset and confused. '_Why am I even related to him? We are complete opposites. Totally different. He is talkative, hyper and loves driving the fist rocket while I love locking myself in my room and discover different cures.'_

Gibson broke out of his thoughts when there was a knock on his door. But before he could open it, a note appeared out from nowhere. Ok, fine, someone slipped a note under the door. Gibson picked it up and began to read.

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"AHHH! It's gone! It's gone!"

"What's gone?"

"My… my… my…"

"Your what?"

"Mr Green! Mr Green is gone!"  
"Who's Mr Green?"

"The giant caterpillar that freaks you out."

Nova stared at the green simian blankly. Than she stared at Otto in disgust.

"I cannot believe you actually kept that caterpillar."

"Please please please help me find it!" Otto begged, staring at Nova with his puppy-dog eyes.

"Fine," the female said. But she was actually worrying about a different thing. It will cause a racket around the robot, considering that Sprx and Gibson would definitely hate a caterpillar crawling around in their room.


	5. Nova's diary and SK is back

**Nova's POV**

**Dear dairy,**

**Remember what I thought about Gibson freaking out when he sees a caterpillar in his room? Well, he didn't, to my surprise. And the weirdest part of all was that… he actually placed the bug under the microscope and **_**examined **_**it. Imagine my own brother, who had been afraid of bugs this whole time, cut a caterpillar open and took out it's leg. That sent Otto screaming hysterically, though he did stop after 15 minutes, cuz Chiro was getting seriously irritated of Otto's screaming. But Mr Green still survived, so…yea. Everything went back to normal. But there's one thing that gets me seriously annoyed. Chiro's constant crying and screaming. He already consumed fifty bottles of goat's milk in seven whole days. And he usually cries in the middle of the night, waking everybody up. We all have to rush into his room and see how he was doing. But I got to admit, its fun being a mum. I'm not saying I'm getting old, though. We monkeys would never get old and die. All we need are just some spare energy cells and water and food to survive for a million years. I think it's some kind of serum the alchemist gave us when we were just normal monkeys. Skeleton king hasn't attacked for days now, and let's just say… we kinda let our guard down. So today, Antauri suggested that we do some extra training, in case Mandarin attacks Shuggazoom. Speaking of Shuggazoom, someone let the cat out of the bag and told everyone about Chiro. BT and Glenny came to see him today and BT almost suffocated our leader to death by hugging him. He said that Chiro was 'cute' and 'cuddly' and 'chubby'. And after they left, thousands of people came banging the door, saying that they want to see Chiro. And they almost, ALMOST, knocked down the entire metal door to enter the robot. **

**Anyway, Chiro has grown a lot now. He's still training to be a warrior with his sword and shield. But his 'training' was just burning himself with the shield, so it's back to the basics. He's still a baby, so I can't blame him. He was potty-trained last week, so Sprx doesn't have to keep groaning about changing the diaper. By the way, Gibson and Sprx have made up to each other, and I managed to find the note. It said:**

_Dear Gibson, _

_I'm really sorry bout what happened today, and I wanna make it up to ya. I…ummm… could… help you fix the computer and clean up all the ashes from the explosion. And maybe, ya know, I'll TRY to keep awake when you give the team one of your lectures. I understand why you're angry, and now, I've realized what a big jerk I've been lately. I was the one that set Mr Green free and planted a tarantula in Nova's room. I was the one that stole your thing you hug at night when you sleep. _

_Again, I'm sorry for all the trouble. Hope you forgive me._

_Sprx 77_

**I was super pissed off when I found out that Sprx was the one who actually planted the spider in my room. But that pilot was willing to admit his mistakes. And that's something you see every once in a blue moon. Ever since the fire of hate incident, Sprx decided to become livelier, making everyone happy. But sometimes his pranks went overboard, but still…**

**I think he and Otto is the sparks in this team, reminding everyone that happiness is always the most important thing even when things are looking down. And, one more thing: Chiro is going to experience Shuggazoom's first eclipse tomorrow, and he was really excited that he drank ten whole bottles of milk today. Boy, I sure am tired now. Just hope that SK doesn't attack soon. **

**Cheers, Nova.**

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Normal POV

Everyone in Shuggazoom crowded in the heart of the city. Excited chattering filled the air as children carrying balloons tugged their mothers' sleeve, asking a million times when the eclipse was going to happen. Otto and Sprx were buying snacks while Gibson was doing some mental sums in his head. Antauri and Nova were carrying Chiro around some random exhibits.

"Alright, ladies and gentlemen please remain calm and we will start the countdown soon." A female voice said over the microphone. Soon, bight and colorful numbers appeared on the gigantic screen.

10…9…8…7…6…5…4…3…2…1…0…

Everyone stared up into the sky, 'ooh-ing' and 'ahh-ing.' The sun was slowly covered by a certain shape. Only that it wasn't circular. It was… triangular. Antauri and Nova stared at each other in confuse. Nova activated her microscopic vision and realization suddenly hit the two monkeys:

"It's the Citadel Of Bone!" they exclaimed together.


	6. Captured

"Oh no! No No No No No!" Otto cried in worry. "I spent my allowance on that candy floss! You're gonna pay for that!"

In anger, the green monkey activated his saws and killed the formless in a jacket (Don't ask me why they wear jackets).

"Hey, he's got some money!" Otto said in glee as he reached into its pocket. "And just enough to buy another candy floss!"

"Otto!" Sprx cried out. "A little help please?"

The mechanic rushed to Sprx's aid, who was surrounded by tons of formless.

While, on the other side of Shuggazoom, Nova and Gibson were busy battling formless while Antauri retreated for the robot with Chiro. He was bawling his eyes out and Antauri destroyed formless with energy attacks that blocked his way.

"Gibson! There's too many!" Nova said urgently. She was already trying her best to fight them, but the more she destroyed, the more they multiply. Panting in exhaustion, the female warrior gave a battle cry:

"Lady Tomahawk!"

She didn't destroy any of the formless. They just vanished when Nova unleashed her attack and reappear when the attack was over.

"What the…"

Giant birds swooped down. A bird grabbed Nova and Gibson while they were distracted (sorry, but I'm writing my first battle scene). And as for Otto and Sprx, they got captured too, by the birds (I'm trying to write this as fast as I can before my father gets home and finds out I'm using the computer when I'm supposed to do my homework… yea, so I skipped some details…if you're wondering…)

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"Mandarin!" a voice boomed as the orange monkey stepped forward and bowed down.

"Yes, my lord?"

"Is that device ready?"

"Yes."

"Good, because you better destroy Antauri for good and capture Chiro."

"As you wish, my lord. I will fulfill my duties."

"_And do not fail this time or your name isn't Mandarin."_

The last sentence sent a chill down the clone's spine, but he politely nodded his head with respect and left the room without another word. The orange simian picked up a device (something like a remote control) and pressed a red button. The screen of the device popped up and showed Mandarin's two gauntlets. On the gauntlets, there was a small microchip on each one of them. One was purple and the other was orange.

"Activated." A mechanical voice said. Mandarin smirked and went back to his room while whistling a tune.

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"Yes, run Antauri. Run. But you can't hide. I will eventually find you and destroy your precious little Chosen One."

This voice echoed in his mind and made him worried. Without hesitation, Antauri activated the robot's shield. He activated his communicator and said:

"Monkey team?"

"Oh yeah? Antauri will stop you and we will turn Chiro back! You can't keep us in here forever!"

That voice belonged to Nova.

"Nova's right! We all know that Antauri is powerful enough to kick your pathetic butt!"

And that was Sprx's voice.

"And according to my calculations, there is a ninety-five percent chance that the hyper force will win."

And that British accent belonged to Gibson.

"Yeah, and when we get out, we'll fight and save Shuggazoom!"

And of course, that was Otto.

"You pathetic primates. There is no way that Antauri will win this fight. I have discovered his greatest weakness."

Unmistakably Mandarin's voice.

"No way! Antauri has no weakness!" Nova argued.

"You think? Well, think again. When Antauri gets locked up by these electric handcuffs, they will electrocute him when he tries to phase through them. And of course, we all know that he will do anything to save Chiro, _even if it costs him his life."_

And with that, the line went dead.

"Chiro?"

The baby monkey, which Antauri had placed him in his room earlier, didn't reply with a giggle and cry. There was silence. And that could only mean one thing:

_Chiro was captured._

No, that's impossible. He was here a minute ago. Thirty seconds ago, to be exact. How could he be captured? Unless Mandarin was here. But Mandarin wasn't. He was on the Citadel of Bone. No formless could phase.

Quickly, Antauri ran to check the security camera. But when he activated it, nothing happened. Everything was black. So that's when he found it.

_One of Chiro's Sun Rider daggers. _


	7. Antauri debates with himself

'_NO! Chiro can't be gone! I would have sensed something.'_

'_But you didn't.'_

'_Who are you?'_

'_I am merely the voice in your head. Your greatest fear is about to come true and it has nothing to do with losing control of your body.'_

'…_What?'_

'_Nothing. There is nothing you can do to stop your fear from coming true,'_

'_How do you know?'_

'_I don't. You are the one who's supposed to find out.'_

'_I don't understand.'_

'_Oh, don't worry, you're gonna find out soon enough. Losing Chiro to Skeleton King. And it's a pity that your teammates still trust you after what you've done that night.'_

'… _That night?'_

'_The night when you almost destroyed Chiro. If it wasn't for Otto, he'd be long gone by now.'_

'_Just stop reminding me about it!'_

'_But I can't. Remember, Antauri, I am you. I know everything you did that night. And I know that you don't actually care for Chiro. You only took him in because you had no choice. And when there is finally peace in the universe, you would dump him on the street like a useless rag doll.' _

'_That is not true!'_

'_You think?'_

'_I know!'_

'_You only think you know, but the truth is, you don't. And I know Chiro too. He doesn't see you as a father. He sees you as a friend.'_

'_How do you know?'_

'_Remember, you gave part of your soul to Chiro. That's how I know. The transfer of the Power Primate during your resurrection hasn't been complete because the boy had not actually mastered the Power Primate. Kinda hard for a beginner to do the transfer. So, as I was saying, part of your soul is still within Chiro, so that's why you feel pain when he is in pain. Anyway, since your soul is in Chiro's body, I am able to feel his emotions and read his thoughts. And I know he doesn't see you as a father. He sees Mandarin as a father.'_

'…'

'_You see, ever since he turned into a baby, he forgets everything he's learnt, but somehow, he remembers Mandarin. He sees Mandarin as a strong, loving, wise and caring monkey. Mandarin could defeat everyone because he's powerful. He's knows what is going to happen in the future. He makes wise decisions. For example, when Mandarin sensed that something is wrong with the Power Primate, he wouldn't go for counseling with Master Xan if he knew something bad was going to happen at the Veran temple. But he knows he has to go there and save whoever's in trouble. Not like you, who still didn't suspect a thing when Master Xan had been planning to give away the Power Primate for two months. Back to my point: Chiro thinks Mandarin is a better role model than you, get it?'_

'…_yes.'_

'_By the way, you'd better hurry up and go save Chiro before he joins Mandarin. And one more reminder: you'd have to hurt Chiro with your own claws sooner or later. Your greatest fear is coming true and let me repeat: it has nothing to do with losing control of your body. Nothing. So you'd want to watch out when you reach the Citadel. Your teammates are counting on you to save them and in my opinion; I don't think you can beat someone with a greater ability than you without the whole team. Or maybe two someones. I don't know.'_

'…_You can see the future…?'_

'_Maybe… but let me tell you one more thing. I've seen the Alchemist build the silver monkey and there are much more powers you have yet to discover. You don't only have claws, you know. There are much more enemies in the future that you cannot defeat with claws. But to discover them, you must control that body of yours perfectly well.'_

'_But how…'_

'_No more questions! You will find out soon enough. Now go before Mandarin eliminates the monkey team.'_

And with that, the voice disappeared as quickly as it appeared.

Me: Yes, it might be a little short. As you all know, I'm rushing as usual. My 'You were here all along' story (Chap 3) is edited. Go and comment on the edited version and see how I did it! Anyway, I accidentally deleted Chapter one of this story… hehe… so I'm joining Chapter one and two together. If you don't understand what I'm saying, you'll know soon enough.

Anyway, if you don't understand this chapter, just review and I'll reply back with the answers! Thx!


	8. Skeleton King destroyer force go!

Skater: Welcome to this brand new chapter!

Chiro: Shouldn't you be studying Chinese right now?

Skater: Hey, it's not everyday I touch my computer.

Chiro: But you are afraid that you might flunk your exam.

Skater: So?

Chiro: So you should be studying instead of making me suffer. Isn't it time you give me my salary?

Skater: *Whistling*

Chiro: We had a deal!

Skater: The deal says that I pay you every six months! Plus, I'm bankrupt right now.

Chiro: That's no excuse! I promised to buy Otto a sun rider comic!

Skater: That's why you agreed to work here in the first place.

Chiro: How did you find out?

Skater: *Continues whistling and tries to hide Chiro's dairy*

Chiro: You stole my dairy, didn't you?

Skater: You hid it in your sock drawer! Not my fault it was so easy to find. Anyway, please review!

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"…Nova?" Otto groaned as he began to sit up straight. Rubbing his head, he remembered where he was. "What happened?"

"Mandarin used sleeping gas on us," Gibson replied, struggling in vain to activate his weapons.

"Forget it, big brain. I don't think we're getting outta here alive. I mean, Chiro's a monkey and what if Mandarin plans to turn us evil again?" Sprx said as he raised his voice a little.

"Good idea."

'That voice. Ugh, I'll kill him if I had to!' Nova thought silently to herself as hate and anger rushed through her.

"Why have Chiro fight Antauri when you can all fight him?" an orange figure appeared out of a dark corner of the room. Glancing at Sprx, he continued: "And for once you've come up with a good and useful suggestion."

The rest of the monkey team members glared at Sprx. Realizing what kind of trouble he got his team into, the red monkey piped up:

"It didn't work on us last time."

"Is that the best you can say?" Nova asked, with a hint of anger and frustration in her voice. "The Sprx I know is always good with words."

Thinking back about all the love letters he sent to Nova, the pilot blushed deep red, which was unnoticeable since he was red. Or pink.

"Sprx and Nova sitting on the tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G, first came love, second came-," Otto taunted playfully before being interrupted by the angry female.

"OTTO!"

Quickly, the mechanic shut up and pouted sadly. He stared at Nova with his famous please-forgive-me-i-know-you-can't-stand-these-puppy-dog –eyes looks. Calming down a little, Nova exhaled.

_(Mandarin: Are we done here? I want to turn them evil now!_

_Skater: You are getting extra money for that._

_Chiro: Hey, no fair!_

_Skater: We had a deal, monkey boy!)_

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Now back to the Citadel of bone…

"With this special ooze I created-," Mandarin said before being interrupted by Sakko.

"Hey!" the little monkey cried out, jumping up and down on Mandarin's shoulder.

"This special ooze _Sakko and I _created is going flow into your mechanical systems immediately after the machine is activated. And you know your organic structure can't stand this ooze for long. When this flows into your brain, it is going to get digested easily, therefore flooding your mind with the thirst for power and vengeance. Isn't it perfect?" the ex-leader of the hyper force explained proudly.

"Perfectly boring," Sprx corrected.

Flinging a look at the red pilot, Mandarin pulled a purple lever and grinned. The remaining monkeys, excluding Sakko, were screaming as if their lives were being sucked out.

A few minutes of torture later, there was silence.

"Does anyone smell blood?" Otto asked, turning to Gibson.

"Indeed. It is stronger than ever!" the scientist replied.

"I'm ready for the kill!" Sprx shouted, struggling against the chains.

"The energy… I can already taste it…" Nova licked her lips in hunger.

"Welcome back to the family, my brothers," Mandarin said as he released them. Activating his saws immediately, Otto cried out:

"I smell… evil!"

The orange simian shushed Otto.

"There is someone I'd like you to meet," he said, waving his hand. Someone familiar walked out of the shadows of the citadel.

"Welcome to the new hyper force, monkeys. I've been waiting for this moment for a long time." He hissed, red eyes darting from left to right. "Get ready, our prey is coming,"

Holding up his hand, Nova signaled for the rest to hide.

"We gotcha back, Chiro." Sprx whispered before jumping behind a big rock.

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Me: Guess what's gonna happen next! Anyway, please leave a review!


	9. Search and found!

Skater: Hi! I plan to update this before 20 May because I'm getting my results on that day. And that is not good.

Chiro: Anyway, let's get back to the story.

Evil Chiro: Ya, I'm ready to rip someone apart!

Skater: *secretly hands him over 100 bucks* Anyway, please review!

Evil Chiro: On with the fanfic!

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Landing the Brain Scrambler on the Citadel of Bone, a feeling of dread came over the silver monkey as he ran into the spaceship on all fours. Antauri's senses were warning him not to go, but he ignored the annoying voice in his head. He only had one goal: Find the team.

_But he has no idea what to expect next._

Halting to a stop, the primate reached a dead end. This was not a good sign.

"Hey, Antauri. You can't do this alone, can you?"

Turning to the source of the voice, Antauri relaxed a little. It was the Sun Riders.

"…No," the silver monkey admitted slowly.

"We knew it. If you want to know why we're here, let's just put it this way. Gibson sent us a distress call with his new invention while he's locked in the cell. We came here as soon as possible, but couldn't find anything yet. Any luck?" Johnny Sunspot asked, frowning.

"No. I just arrived," Antauri said, starring at Johnny. Something was very wrong here.

"Well, Antauri-san, we must continue our search. Care to join us?" Super Quasar extended out his hand. As the sun heroes suspected, the silver monkey grasped his offer immediately.

"Now, all we need is a camouflage device." Aurora said, bending down to help Antauri pin on the… device. (Awkward! XD)

"Thank you," the silver monkey responded, his face blank. Seriously, something doesn't feel right.

Shaking off the feeling immediately, he waited for Johnny's instructions. The boy finally said:

"Alright, let's split up. Aurora, go with him and cover the right side. Antauri and I will handle the left part of the citadel."

Nodding, the pair ran off, leaving Antauri alone with Johnny.

"That way,"

The silver monkey followed him silently, not saying a word. Trying to shatter the awkward silence, Johnny spoke up:

"I hear that you and Chiro are quite close, huh? He was always talking to me on the phone, telling me how great you are. He talks about the other monkeys too, just not as much,"

"…Oh," the silver primate responded. "Have you found any signs of the monkey team?"

"No. We tried using the scanner, but it didn't work. There must be something wrong with it,"

"I'll try using the power primate,"

Levitating, he closed his eyes and concentrated hard. In his mind's eye, he saw two baby blue eyes staring at him.

'Antauri, run. Please, get outta here.' a voice pleaded, although there was no mouth. It sounded like Chiro's voice. Before he could respond, the blue eyes turned crimson red.

'Antauri! Forget about me. Just run!' it spoke again.

'Chiro, where are you?' the silver monkey asked.

'I'm-!' A scream was heard and before the teen could respond, a different voice replaced it.

'Forget about saving the boy. If you want him back, listen to my instructions. Go to the cave at the end and you will find a throne there. Skeleton King will be waiting. Bow down to him and give him the power primate, or your precious Chosen One will die slowly and painfully. You have exactly five minutes, Antauri. If you do not arrive in time, prepare to witness the death of your son,'

Opening his eyes immediately, the silver monkey levitated down and ran, with Johnny chasing after him.

"Hey! Where are we going?" the teen hero shouted. Antauri didn't respond.

Pressing the tip of his communicator, Johnny contacted the other two members of the Sun Riders.

"We'll be there immediately," Aurora responded.

"… We're here," Antauri said, stopping in front of a cave. He walked in slowly, staring at the weird shadows on the wall.

"Well, what now?" Johnny asked, not realizing that his voice was too loud.

"… The throne…" Antauri gasped quietly.

"Welcome, Antauri. I'm afraid your friend will have to stay there for a moment," the villain chuckled, pressing a red button on the throne. An electrical cage trapped Johnny inside it.

"What's the big idea!" the hero shouted angrily.

Ignoring the angry request, Skeleton King grinned, saying: "Bow down to me now."

Hesitating slightly, the silver monkey fell to his knees.

'_For Chiro, for Chiro,' _he silently repeated in his mind.

"Come out," the villain ordered.

The single two words made six shapes jump out. The first shape tackled Antauri, while the other two tried to attack him.

Pushing off the shapes, he soon realized who they were.

"Monkey team?" Antauri said quietly. Turning to Skeleton King angrily, he shouted:

"What have you done to my family?"

"You have but yourself to blame. You've let them down because you were too late," Skeleton King explained patiently. "And now, your worst fear has come true. The chosen One now works for me!"

Nodding, Chiro spoke up, "We all know that power is the main thing when we have superpowers. And we decide to rule over Shuggazoom, destroying every living creature that blocks our way. Including you,"

And with that, he charged forward, sending a greenish-black beam towards the silver monkey.

"Let the battle begin!" Skeleton King declared, waving his staff.


	10. Attack! Now!

Skater: Hello world! I'm afraid to say that this story won't be updated soon because my dad isn't going to go to work anymore. He's going to stay at home all day, watching me study… that means I can't use the computer…

Otto: Skater does not own SRMTHFG. If she did, Chiro would be dead by now.

Nova: Anyway, please leave a review!

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"Monkey fu!"

The greenish-black beam shot out from the teen's orange gloves. Antauri ducked just in time, the attack missing him by an inch.

"Double monkey attack!"

Blue and red energy attacks shot out from the weapons of Sprx and Gibson. The silver monkey ducked them all, just like he did in normal training lessons when Mandarin was their leader.

"Scritch scratch doom thrower!"

Otto's energy saws created green energy sparks (is there such things?), aiming straight at his comrade. Being distracted by Sprx and Gibson's attacks, Otto's attack hit the silver monkey right smack in the middle of his torso.

Antauri fell to the ground, and Mandarin saw his chance. Just as the second in command was about to get up, the orange monkey took a small laser gun and shot it at his friend. Antauri screamed in pain, falling to the ground again. After Mandarin deactivated the gun, the silver monkey struggled to stand.

"Hang on, Antauri!"

He turned around and saw Aurora and Super Quasar running towards him. Aurora freed Johnny with her powers, and the Sun Riders were running towards him.

"Chiro-san, how could you?" Super Quasar asked as he helped Antauri up.

"Let's not keep monkey boy waiting. If he wants a fight, we'll give him one," the impulsive kid said, forming a black hole with his gloves.

"Don't hurt him!" Antauri exclaimed, trying to coax Johnny to calm down.

"Why?" the hero asked, putting down his gloves.

"He's not himself. The monkey team is under the influence of the ooze!" the silver monkey explained, pointing to a tube of black ooze.

Anyway, while the heroes on the good side were 'arguing', Mandarin walked up to Chiro.

"Chiro, clap your hands twice," Mandarin instructed. The teen obeyed politely, and clapped his hands twice. Two brown gauntlets appeared. A smile crept up his lips.

"Cool! Now I can cause more damage than usual!" Chiro grinned, activating the energy sword and shield.

"Sun Riders, we need to attack. NOW!" Johnny screamed urgently as he barely missed the energy sword charging towards him.

Before Aurora and Super Quasar could respond, Sprx and Nova came up behind them, shouting: "Sonic twin attack!"

The red and yellow vibrations hit both the Sun Riders from behind, causing them to fall. Johnny was distracted by this. It pained his heart to see his comrades hurt.

"Aurora, Quasar, NO!"

He ran up to them, and was hit by Otto, mainly because he couldn't defend himself while distracted. But unfortunately for Jonny, Otto hit his weak spot, which was his left knee.

"Foolish humans. When will they ever learn?" Skeleton King chuckled, still seating on his throne.

"Double sword attack!" Chiro shouted, aiming straight for his mentor. A blue beam barely missed Antauri, but the silver monkey could feel the heat radiating from it.

"Monkey team, formation Z, Go!" the leader ordered. All 6 monkeys were charging straight for their second in command.

"Sting Ring!"

"Whirling destructo saws!"

"Spin Shocker!"

"Magnet Tingler Blast!"

"Monkey Mind Scream!"

"Sheild and Sword formation!"

Yellow, red, blue, green and orange attacks aimed straight for the middle, where Antauri was. Avoiding to get damaged, the silver simian jumped up into the air, levitating. All the attacks collided together, which caused an explosion. And then, there was silence.


	11. I'm trapped in a maze!

Skater: Hi! I'm back after 5(or more) days!

Chiro: 5 days? You call that long?

Skater: Do you have a problem with that?

Chiro: I thought you were busy in school.

Skater: Whatever. For those of you who watch kung fu panda, you might notice that Po's dad's voice actor is same as MANDARIN'S! Thanks to **Dea Lux **who told me this AWESOME info!

Chiro: … You're joking!

Skater: I'm not! I knew you would be SURPRISED!

Chiro: Please read and review!

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I didn't know what to feel. Pain, sorrow or anger? Maybe pain, since my head was throbbing right now.

I slowly opened his eyes. What I saw was darkness. It was pitch black in the Citadel.

"… Chiro?" I called out. No one answered.

A feeling of dread came over me. I struggled to stand up and walk, which was quite a hard thing to do because the throbbing hadn't stop. I tried to levitate but failed because levitation required a certain amount of energy.

_Antauri, _I heard a voice speak inside my head. _You know that dark magic can destroy you. Run away and forget about Chiro. Save yourself._

I didn't listen to it. How could I let Chiro, my son, become a slave to Skeleton King while I save my own life? The life I should be saving is Chiro's, not mine. I activated my night-vision and looked around me. I was in a deserted room. No one was in sight. Not even Skeleton King. I tried using the Power Primate to find Chiro, but sensed nothing. Chiro's inner primate is weak, but not _yet _gone. If it is gone, he'll be a slave to Skeleton King forever. But it _will_ be gone soon, if he continues to obey Skeleton King. I couldn't let that happen. I walked out of the room, only to see another room, similar to this one's. I walked on and on, but the more I walk, the further away I seem get from the monkey team. I tried phasing through the walls, but they were phase-proof. Whenever I try to phase through them, I get electrocuted. The only option is to walk. I tried to go back, but whenever I turn, a force keeps pushing me forward. I continued walking, trying to contact the monkey team.

_**You're alone**__._

The voice was back again.

_I'm not alone! _I snapped.

_**Please, don't try to change the truth. Your teammates are gone, the Sun Riders somehow managed to escape, and no one can help you. And you are lost in the Citadel of Bone while Chiro is waiting for you to save him**__. __**You know that the more you walk, the more time you waste. And if you haven't noticed, you won't get out of this room because it is endless. That could only mean one thing: you're trapped in a maze. **_

_A maze?_

_**Yep. A maze. And we all know that you can't get out of it unless you find an exit. But all you CAN do now is walk and walk.**_

_How do I find the exit?_

_**That is for you to find.**_

The silver monkey continued moving forward. Every second seemed like an hour. Every minute seemed like eternity. And when every minute passed, I grew increasingly worried about Chiro and the monkey team. I couldn't defeat them alone. Even if I did, I have no idea how to turn them back to normal. I could turn them back to normal using the Power Primate, but bringing back Sprx to the good side when he was under the influence of the fire of hate had drained most of my energy. But I _could _turn them back to normal with ALL of my power. Not MOST OF IT. I mean ALL. And without the Power Primate, I couldn't exist. So that was my plan, even if it meant sacrificing for the team a second time. Than something snapped me out of my thoughts. Something, _or someone,_ brushed against my conscience. They were trying to communicate with me. It didn't take me long to realize who it was.

_Chiro._

"_**Antauri, help! Skeleton King is turning me evil soon with more dark power and magic. I know you told me to face my fear, but now, I can't help it. I'm… scared. I'm too weak to fight back. I-,"**_

Chiro screamed, followed by an evil laughter. Than there was silence. Dead silence. Silence that was almost _deafening. _Somehow, Chiro's cry for help gave me strength to move on. I sprinted forward, ready to get out of maze. That was when I saw him.

Who was he, you may ask? I'll give you just one answer:

_It was Master Xan._


	12. I found you, but I was too slow

Skater: Hi!

Dark Chiro: Get on with the fanfic already! I've been sharpening the sword all week!

Skater: Fine. Anyway, I have one question. If anyone knows the answer, please please please tell me! So here goes: Is the Antauri and Chiro father and son relationship fan made? I mean, was it created by fans or the creator actually had that relationship in mind when he was creating the characters? I know, there's a high possibility that the creator created it, but just to make sure… I wanna know the answer. BTW, please review!

Dark Chiro: Finally!

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**Antauri's POV**

No, it wasn't possible. He couldn't be back. I blinked. The Master Xan I was seeing wasn't the multi-colored monster the last time I met him. He was wearing a white cloak, and his face was covered in a mask.

"I suppose you want to know the way out?" he questioned, bowing.

"How do I know I can trust you?" I replied, giving him a disgusted look. But on the other hand, I really needed to know the way out. I needed to free the monkey team from Skeleton King's power.

"Remember this?" He said, breaking me out of my thoughts. He held out his hand and showed me a small snow globe. It was glowing green.

"You… still kept it?" I asked.

"How could I throw it away? I know that you and Mandarin worked hard to make this for me,"

Master Xan chuckled at the memory.

"It was one of the best days, you know." He said.

I nodded slightly. It was teacher's day and Mandarin came up with the idea. It was creative, if I do say so myself. But the most important thing still lingered in my mind: Finding Chiro and the Monkey Team.

"Well, come with me, Antauri. I'll show you the way out," master Xan said, beckoning me to come with me. Reluctantly, I followed him. I didn't have a choice. We walked for a while, but than we stopped in front of two tunnels.

"Each of them lead to a different place. But only one leads to Chiro. Choose which tunnel you want to go in. I warn you, Antauri, if you choose the wrong path, you can never turn back. My time here is up. Farewell, brother," Master Xan said before disappearing.

_Only one leads to Chiro…_

I meditated and closed my eyes. It was the only way to help me get out of this maze. Than I put my palms together and opened them. In my hands was a green ball. I let go of it and see where it will lead me. It floated in the air, but it didn't go anywhere. It just… disappeared. _What? How can it disappear…?_

Than I remembered something Chiro told me long ago, when he first joined the team.

"_Ya know, Tauri, if I had a favorite direction, it would be left. I dunno why. It always leads me to good luck. Like when I first found the robot, there were two paths and I picked the left one. And now, I get to meet you guys and become Shuggazoom's protector. I know its silly and all, but it doesn't change the fact that my favorite direction is left."_

Good luck. Well, Chiro has bad luck now that he's under the influence of Skeleton King. He said that left always led him to good luck, so right must lead him to bad luck. I was about to take a step forward to the right tunnel when I considered it for a moment. If I took the right tunnel, bad luck will happen to Chiro. Sure Chiro is under the influence of Skeleton King, and that might be bad, but worse things may happen in the future. Chiro's voice popped up in my head again: _"Ya know, in the movies, good guys always win, and so will the hyper force. I believe that we'll win the war against Skeleton King." _

Chiro believed that the story would have a happy ending. So, I took a deep breath and stepped into the left tunnel. There was a bright light and I saw _Chiro. _

"_I'm dying on the inside, Antauri! Skeleton King's killing me! I can't stand it anymore! Please hurry!" _Chiro told me and disappeared. I knew I was running out of time. I ran deeper into the light and saw Skeleton King. I hid in a corner, hoping that he wouldn't see me.

"My lord, he is fully recharged." Madarin said, bowing to the Skeleton. Skeleton King chuckled, waving a finger towards the clone. Chiro came out, wearing handcuffs.

"Give up, Skeleton King! Antauri will come sooner or later!" I heard Chiro say.

"Don't get your hopes up, boy," the villain replied calmly. "I've trapped him in a maze that no one can get out of,"

I looked at my son. His clothes were torn and he looked really weak.

"Think again, Skeleton King!" I screamed, jumping out of my hiding place. I activated my claws and attacked him.

"Monkey Mind Scream!"

Violet waves came out of me and hit my target. I stood in front of Chiro, in case Skeleton King tried to hurt him again. I was about to get the handcuffs of when Skeleton King used his levitation powers and strangled me (like in the I Chiro episode.) I tried to free myself in vain.

"Let the fun begin," Mandarin smirked, taking out a weird-looking device. He pressed a red button and Chiro began to change. I could only watch in horror.

"Good," Chiro said, rubbing his hands together. "I've been waiting my whole life for this,"


	13. Chiro's side of the story & fighting

**Skater: Hello!**

**YX: You are in a good mood today!**

**Skater: Why are you here, SRMTHFG hater? GET OUT NOW!**

**YX: Chill. I just watched the episodes and take my words back. I LOVE SRMTHFG! And I just read your story and-**

**Skater: Did you review?**

**YX: No.**

**Skater: GET OUT! I DON'T CARE IF YOU WATCHED! YOU MIGHT BE SPYING FOR WINX CLUBFOR ALL I KNOW!**

**Chiro: She's not. She paid me 100 bucks just to act out all 52 episodes. **

**YX: Yep! Pls review!**

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**Chiro's POV**

"You wouldn't," I growled softly, glaring at the orange monkey. I struggled to free myself, but failed, of course.

"Boy, don't get your hopes up," Mandarin smirked, staring back at me while fiddling with a weird looking remote.

"Where is he?" I shouted.

"In the maze of bones."

I gasped. Did he say… the Maze of Bones?

"You mean it actually exists…?" I said.

"Of course it exists, boy!" He snapped, still fiddling with that stupid remote.

The Maze Of Bones, also known as the MOB, was just a legend, or so I thought. Every mom in Shuggazoom used to tell their children that if they ate snacks after bedtime, or didn't brush their teeth before bedtime, they will be trapped in the MOB. All who ventured there never returned, even if they were the strongest man in the universe. What happened to these men, you may ask? Oh, they never found their way out and were left there to starve. But Antauri doesn't eat… so he'll be ok, right? Wrong. Ok, maybe he will. No one knows.

"Where's the monkey team?" I asked, pushing the thought of the MOB out of my mind.

"Here,"

Mandarin showed me a hologram of them. They were attached to chains, and a tube was attached to the sockets at the back of their heads. In the tubes were pink, glowing ooze.

"What have you done to them?" I said.

"They are just recharging, no need to worry. Your friends will be OK, but I can't say the same for Antauri,"

He shot me one of his famous evil smirks.

"Your precious second-in-command is going to die, and guess who is going to kill him?" Mandarin said.

I was speechless. My mind knew the answer, but I just didn't want to think about it.

"You are. If Antauri escapes the Maze of Bones, I wouldn't be surprised. He will come and rescue you and the monkey team. When he comes, you will turn evil again and beat him up to your heart's desire,"

My heart skipped a beat. Beat Antauri up? No way, not in a million years.

"I AM NOT!" I screamed.

"You did before, so looks like you don't have a choice,"

This is bad. Real bad. If something happened to my mentor-_my dad- _because of me, I would never forgive myself. Never.

"Time's up, boy. You know what punishment we're going to have now, right?"

"Y-yes, Mandarin,"

I turned my back towards him and waited for the worst. He took out a whip and started caning me. I winced. It hurt a lot. But if I offended Mandarin in any other way, or disobeyed him, he promised to electrocute Antauri. He said that he placed a small microchip on Antauri, and if he pressed a certain button, the electricity would flow through the silver monkey immediately. After three strokes of that whip, my back started bleeding. He was only allowed to cane me three times, because Skeleton King doesn't want me 'too badly damaged' because I would have to fight later.

"It is time to go,"

I followed Mandarin to SK's room. He sat on the throne, staring at his loyal orange monkey.

"My lord, he is fully recharged," Mandarin said. I had three hours of sleep. Of course I was fully recharged.

"Give up, Skeleton King! Antauri will come sooner or later!" I said, trying to sound brave. But to tell the truth, I was terrified. I knew Mandarin said he WOULD get out of the MOB, but I have my doubts.

"Don't get your hopes up, boy," he said. "I've trapped him in a maze that no one can get out of,"

Deep down, I knew that SK was trying to scare me.

"Think again, Skeleton King!"

Antauri jumped out of his hiding place. I watched him attack SK. But I wasn't happy to see him. I wanted him to escape… NOW. He stood in front of me, trying to protect me. Than I watched SK attack him, giving Mandarin a signal. Then everything went black for me. I felt myself transforming, and power just flooded through me. Before I knew it, I was attacking my own second-on-command.

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_Antauri's POV_

I tried to throw Chiro off guard for the moment. But for every attack I unleashed on him, he just dodged, blocked and sent it back to me. I couldn't get a single scratch on him. I didn't want to hurt him, just… stun him long enough for me to find the source of his evilness. What is causing him to act like this way?

"Chiro Spear-o!"

The lightning bolt came zooming towards me. I dodged it, but it shot me from behind. I figured it out. Now, Chiro's powers were upgraded by dark energy. The lightning blot can now _chase _its target.

"Antauri, you will never win! Surrender and I'll go easy on you," Chiro said.

I glared at him.

"Chiro, I won't fight you!" I said, dodging another attack. "Mandarin is controlling you with his power. You don't know what you're doing!"

"NO! Mandarin helped me find what I wanted most- power. And after we protected the citizens of Shuggazoom from evil, what do we get besides that pathetic statue (_the statue of gold at the end of Pit Of Doom episode_)? Nothing! I have a lot of power, Antauri, and I am using it to get rid of you!"

"Chiro, please-,"

I was cut off when a green-black beam shot towards me. I was sent flying back towards the wall, leaving a dent on it. I closed my eyes in pain. When I opened them, a sword was pointing at my throat.

"Make a move and you die," Chiro said, grinning. He wanted to destroy me, but I couldn't let him do it. Not _yet._

"Antauri, face it, you are all alone," Mandarin said, holding a remote. The truth struck me. It was that remote. It was the source of Chiro's evilness.

"Monkey Mind Scream!"

Chiro was thrown backwards. I wanted to help him get up, but remembered my goal. Destroy that remote. Mandarin must have known what I was planning to do, and he _smashed it._ Yes, he destroyed the remote. Than I felt a strong grip strangle me. It was Chiro.

"C-chiro, let go," I struggled to say. Yes, I didn't need to breathe, but the pressure he was applying on my neck could break one of my fluid tubes.

"You don't tell me what to do!" He growled, throwing me on the ground roughly. I didn't understand. Why didn't Chiro become good? I tried to stand up, but fell to the ground again after a lightning bolt struck me. Electricity flowed through my body immediately. It hurt… a lot. That was the last thing I knew before I blacked out from the pain.

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Skater: OMG, this is my LONGEST chapter ever.

Chiro: You made me attack ANTAURI again?

Skater: Yep! Bear with it, monkey boy. Don't worry, this story will have a happy ending. :DDD


	14. Level one of torture: Whipping

**Skater: WELCOME TO CHAPTER 14!**

**Chiro: I hate you.**

**Skater: After all I did to you, I think you should.**

**Chiro: Can you STOP typing? I'm getting irritated of your violent attitude.**

**Skater: Whatever. You should have seen how I dumped Johnny in the thrash can today.**

**Chiro: Johnny Sunspot?**

**Skater: Bingo!**

**Chiro: … O.o**

**Skater: Please read and review!**

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**Antauri's POV**

I groaned and slowly opened my eyes. The first thing I saw was electric bars (the ones in Magnetic Menace). Then I noticed that I was chained up against the wall. I tried to free myself, despite the pain that shot through me the minute I moved.

"Look who finally decided to wake up,"

Then I saw Chiro, who was holding a whip. He grinned at me.

"Chiro, let me go! I'll try to turn you back to normal and you could have your normal life back," I said, trying to reason with him although I knew I was being stupid.

"Shut up, Antauri! I don't want to have my normal life back! I want power; I want to rule over the city, I want to get rid of you! And anyone who comes in my way will, well, die, of course,"

"Chiro, this isn't you! I can't let you join Skeleton King!"

"I make my own decisions, Antauri."

"And what do you decide?"

"I choose to join Skeleton King and take over Shuggazoom! I've wasted twelve and a half years of my life, you know. And I'm sure that I'll waste my whole life if Mandarin hadn't turned me evil,"

"But Chiro," I began. "You're making a wrong decision!"

"Tell me something I care about,"

"You care about the team and your allies. You care about Jin May, Nova, Otto, Gibson, Sprx. You care about the Sun Riders. Most of all, you care about protecting the citizens of Shuggazoom from Skeleton King and the forces of evil."

"That Chiro died a few hours ago."

"But he can still be resurrected. Chiro, you can still break free from Skeleton King's evil!"

"Well, I don't want to break free. I want to stay like this forever!"

Chiro entered my cell and pressed a button on the nearby wall. Two chains appeared, and they weren't normal chains. They were electric chains. When someone is attached to it, their powers will be gone immediately. Usually they're found in torture chambers. Chiro soon removed my normal chains and locked me up in those electric ones.

"Are we late?" a voice rang out. It was Otto and the rest of the monkey team.

"You're just in time to see the show," Chiro smirked at the team. "Let's begin at Level One of torture: Whipping."

Chiro took the energy whip and started. Each whip was like a powerful blow of an attack. I choked back a scream. It really hurt.

"Aww, this is boring. No screaming. Lemme try," Sprx said, taking the whip from Chiro. He hit me twice as hard. I just gritted my teeth and closed my eyes in pain.

"How about a little more force, Sparky?" Nova said, crossing her arms.

"Don't call me that!"

"Whatever. Watch and learn,"

Nova snatched the whip away from Sprx and started. This time, I screamed. I couldn't choke it back anymore. It pain was… unbearable. It hurt more that Chiro's most powerful Monkey Fu.

"Oh, you shouldn't start screaming now, Antauri," Nova said as she continued. "You should try magnetism. It will hurt much more, you know."

After about 10 strokes, Mandarin came into the room.

"Monkey Team, Skeleton King wants to see you," he said, beckoning them to follow.

"Aww," Nova whined. "I was starting to have fun,"

"You can have more fun later. Right now, your master wants to see you," the clone replied. Reluctantly, the monkey team began to follow. I was greatly relieved. But I can't rest now. I have to break free from these chains. But struggling was useless. I couldn't break free even if I use all my might. Master Xan once told me that these chains were made by… magic. Magic from a sorcerer and a wizard. The magic was so strong that no one, not even the most powerful man could break free. Only few of these chains exist in the universe. And apparently, Skeleton King owns one of them. After several futile attempts to break free, I had no more strength left. I needed a new energy cell.

"Trying to break free, eh?"

Mandarin had been watching me the whole time. I should have known.

"What do you want?" I growled.

"Watching your family kill you." He smirked. "Face it, Antauri. No one can help you now. You are all alone."

I glared at him, although deep down inside me, I knew he was right. I _am _all alone.

"I've got to get going. Enjoy being tortured,"

I watched as he slowly walked away. I watched until his figure was out of sight.


	15. Chiro finds out the truth

Skater: Hi My computer broke down and couldn't update. But I still haven't got a new computer yet, and if you're wondering where am I, Im in my BFF's house. So I'll type as much as i can before going. Please review!

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"Why didn't Master turn Antauri evil?" Chiro wondered to himself, after 15 minutes of SK's meeting. The evil lord dismissed the boy early for some reason or another. He said that he had to reprogram the monkeys.

"Because boy, there is something about the silver monkey you don't know," a voice replied.

"Mandarin?" Chiro whipped his head around, baring his fangs. "What do you want?"

"Don't you want to know the answer?"

"I do."

"Well, come here,"

The orange monkey beckoned Chiro to a room filled with chemicals and science mumbo jumbo.

"When I turned evil, Skeleton King gave me a 'memory chip'. I know everything about my pathetic past, when I was on the good side." He explained.

Chiro nodded his head.

"...And...?"

"The prophecy says that when a human comes to awake my brothers, it also said that one monkey would have a very strong relationship with the human. A relationship stronger than the others,"

"And you're talking about... Antauri?"

"Yes, and when you transferred the Power Primate to his body, part of your soul was transferred into his body. And part of Antauri's soul was transferred into yours."

"So..."

"Don't you see? When part of your soul was transferred into his body, that part of the soul is still protecting him from SK's magic."

"But his soul is in my body too, so why didn't he protect me form SK's magic?"

"Because SK weakened it by turning you into a baby. And when he did that, Antauri didn't have much energy left, so all he can do is protect the Power Primate left inside you. And the more you trust SK, the Power Primate will fully fade away,"

"Oh..."

"So you must kill him before he brings you back from the good side."

"And what else does the prophecy say?"

"It says that only one monkey can bring you back to the good side, which of course, is your father,"

"He's NOT my father!"

Chiro wanted to storm off, but Mandarin grabbed his wrist just in time.

"Take this," The orange monkey said. "It'll boost your powers and give you just enough to kill him,"

The teen nodded. When he reached the cell of the silver monkey, he found Sprx activating his magnets.

"Magnet Bolt Beam Splitter!"

Antauri screamed. When he looked up and saw Chiro, his face didn't break into a smile. Chiro could see that there was no more hope in his eyes. The silver monkey turned his head away before Chiro could see his tears.


	16. Sun Riders to the rescue!

Skater: Hi!

Chiro: Thanks for coming back… :(

Skater: Welcome to the latest chapter of Parent Love!

Chiro: And please review!

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_Antauri's POV_

I was still chained in the cell. After Sprx ran out of energy in attacking me with his magnets, he and the others left me alone. The only sound was water dripping, making a 'plop' sound when it hit the ground. I desperately need a new energy cell. Sprx's attacks drained most of the energy in me. I felt weak and tired… and most of all… helpless. I couldn't move free myself no matter how hard I tried. The chains were just too strong. Then, a whirring sound was heard in my cell. I turned my head around and saw a drill. A drill drilling into the wall, making a big hole on it.

"Sorry we took so long," a familiar voice spoke. It was Aurora! She helped Johnny and Super Quasar in my cell before the hole closed by itself.

"Ouch," Johnny said when he saw me. "What happened to you?"

"Johnny!" Aurora scolded. "We got to free Antauri now!"

Super Quasar took out a special looking device, sort of like a gun. He pressed the trigger and a blue beam came out of it. When the blue beam came in contact with the chains, they slowly melted.

"We got them from the Alchemist's lab," Super Quasar explained.

"With Captain Shuggazoom's help, of course," Johnny added.

"And we also brought this," Aurora said, holding up an energy cell. "When Chiro changed the code of the robot, he forgot to tell us the new code. It took us some time-"

"A lot of time," Johnny cut in.

"You get the point, right?" Aurora asked, looking at me. I nodded my head. Super Quasar helped me put the cell in the silver monkey's body.

"Sorry," he apologized. "We could only get 10% of it because it seems to me that you have upgraded your defense systems,"

At this point, Johnny's communicator beeped. An urgent voice cried out:

"Sun Riders! Doctor Malicious is attacking again! Help us!"

Johnny shrugged and looked at me.

"Sorry," he began. "But we've got to go,"

"I understand," I replied.

"Good luck. And tell me when Chiro spoils his Sun Riders toy set," the boy paused and laughed. "We can always give him a new one."

"Thank you," I spoke, smiling. The Sun Riders gave a little wave and drilled their way out. They disappeared in a blink of an eye.

I phased through the prison gates and started searching for the monkey team.

"Well, look who escaped," Mandarin said behind me. That was unexpected. Why didn't I sense his presence?

"Mandarin," I growled softly, activating my claws. "Where is the monkey team?"

"Why do you even bother searching for them? They'll kill you the minute you make a false move,"

"I'm not leaving this world until they become good again."

"We'll see about that,"

Chiro and the four monkeys emerged from the shadows.

"Finally," Nova said. "Something to punch,"

"Ya," Sprx agreed, activating his magnets.

"Monkey team, prepare for attack," Chiro ordered. Everyone of them got into a battle stance.

"GO!" The teen cried.

Just as four of the monkeys charged towards me, I made my move.

"Monkey Mind Scream!"

The powerful attack thrown them against the wall… hard.

'Sorry,' I thought.

"Pathetic…" Chiro said softly. "Madarin. Get him now,"

The orange monkey charged forward, ready to tear me into pieces with his gauntlets.

"Sword of fire!"

Blue flames came rushing to my direction, and I dodged them swiftly… except for one. One of the flames hit me in the back. But I didn't feel heat. This fire was specially designed to drain energy. Then I charged towards the orange monkey.

"Monkey Move!" I cried.

"Repel the monkey!" (Got this from Xiaolin Showdown, so I DON'T OWN IT!)

I was thrown backwards. Where had Mandarin learnt that? When I was caught off guard for a moment, Chiro made his move.

"Monkey Fu!"

The black and red beam shot me. It… burnt. The blast almost fried my circuits. Mandarin walked towards me and smirked.

"Give up?" He said.

"Claw disruptor!"

Mandarin blocked my attacks until I started panting. He wasn't this powerful the last time I fought him.

"Give up?"

"Never. Monkey Mind Scream!"

The orange monkey dodged and my attack hit Chiro, who, unfortunately, was behind him.

'Chiro, no!' I thought as I saw my son hit the wall.

I stood up and glared at Mandarin. He didn't really care about Chiro. He's only using him for his powers.

"Ready to fight again?" The orange monkey asked me.

"As ready as I'll ever be,"

Thus, the battle began.


	17. Antauri's fight

Skater: 嗨！

Chiro: Huh?

Skater: It means 'hi'.

Chiro: Oh.

Skater: I… I… I SADLY, UNFORTUNATELY, DO NOT OWE SRMTHFG.

Chiro: Well, I'm glad.

Skater: Whatev.

Chiro: (With headphones on) When you are sad and lonely, don't cry, just send an SOS, I'll come and take you far away…

Skater: Shush. Your singing sucks.

Chiro: I feel insulted. Anyway, please review!

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Madarin made his move first.

"Attack the monkey!" He cried, running towards Antauri. The silver simian jumped up and sent a kick towards Mandarin. The orange primate staggered backwards, but quickly regained his strength.

"Claw disruptor!"

Mandarin used his shield to block Antauri's attack, but his reflexes weren't quick enough. One of Antauri's claws scratched his torso, leaving marks on it. The orange simian clutched his chest, as if in pain.

"Sword of the nine dragons!" Mandarin cried and started to multiply. Nine of him appeared, surrounding Antauri. The silver simian looked around, trying to figure out which one was Mandarin. Before he could make a move, all nine Mandarins charged towards him. One of them used his tail (If he has one) and wrapped it around Antauri's leg, causing the second-in-command to fall.

"Monkey Mind Scream!"

The Mandarin that was holding Antauri was thrown off guard, but another two pinned him down unexpectedly. The silver primate winced softly due to the strength the Mandarins were using.

"Admit that you lose!" One of them shouted fiercely. "The Monkey Team isn't here for you, and you're alone. Your comrades are gone!"

"They're not!" Antauri replied back. "They are merely under your control!"

"And they will never break free of it,"

The one standing in front of him, Antauri guessed, is the real Mandarin.

"Mega Monkey Paw!"

The silver monkey somehow broke free and ran towards Mandarin, his eyes full of hope and determination. Mandarin jumped up in surprise, but he wasn't high enough. Antauri grabbed his leg and flung him backwards.

All nine Mandarins disappeared, only the real one was left.

"Ghost claw attack!"

The real orange monkey shrieked in pain. His eyes flared with anger. He leapt up, holding Chiro, who was still unconscious.

"Move one more step," Mandarin warned, holding the sword to Chiro's neck. "Or he dies."

"You wouldn't,"

"I won't hesitate,"

Antauri deactivated his claws and stood frozen on the spot.

"Release Chiro," the silver primate said. "Don't kill him,"

Mandarin smirked. He knew the second in command would give in, and it would all come to this.

"Only on one condition."

"What is that?"

"Come with me,"

Mandarin chained Antauri's hands together. The orange monkey dropped Chiro and walked towards SK's room. Antauri followed reluctantly. He stared at the unconscious boy. The attack must have caused more damage than Antauri thought.

'Chiro… I'll be back for you, I promise,'


	18. Healing Chiro

Skater: Hello!

Chiro: Please review!

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**Antauri's POV**

We walked for a while and ended up in SK's room. I tried to free myself but failed to do so.

"Well, Antauri. You lost the battle to my second in command." I heard him say to me. Then he turned to Mandarin. "Bring me the boy,"

Mandarin bowed and ran off, leaving me with the undead lord.

"Why do you even bother to save the boy's life when you know he's on my side?" SK asked.

"He is not on your side!" I snapped. "He's controlled by you."

"Wrong, Antauri! He let evil control him. I merely unlocked his inner evil,"

"You did much more than that, Skeleton King,"

"Oh, you haven't answered my question. Why did you save him?"

"Because… because I can't bear to see him die,"

"And why can't you bear to see him die? Is it because he's the Chosen One?"

"No. It's much more than that."

Our conversation ended there. Mandarin came running in with Chiro, who is now awake.

"You asked for me, my lord?" Chiro said, kneeling down.

"Yes. Go fetch the other monkeys, and bring them here, to this room," SK replied.

"Your wish is my command,"

Chiro walked away calmly. He was limping and his leg was bleeding. I winced. How could I have been so careless? I hurt the one I loved so much. I hurt the one I treasured. All this was my fault. If I hadn't let Chiro wander off by himself, we wouldn't be in this predicament. I watched as Chiro disappeared from sight.

"What about Antauri, master?" Mandarin asked.

"I'll take care of him. Leave, Mandarin,"

"Yes, milord,"

I glared at SK. There was evil in his eyes. Pure evil.

"Tell me your secret," he growled.

"I don't have one,"

"I beg to differ. The prophecy says that only you can turn Chiro back to the good side. How exactly do you do that?"

"I don't know,"

"I think you do know,"

"Assuming is a dangerous thing,"

"Answer me, Antauri. How do you turn Chiro back to the good side?"

"I… I'm not sure,"

"I warn you one last time. Tell me your secret or die,"

"I would rather die,"

"Very well."

SK grabbed my neck with his invisible grip. I struggled to free myself. He tightened the grip and grinned. I tried to activate my claws, which was quite a hard thing to do. He crashed me into a wall hard. I winced in pain. He treated me like a puppet. He tightened his grip even more. It suffocated me even though I didn't need to breathe.

_Then it happened. SK broke one of my fluid tubes. My eyes widened. Pain rushed through me. If SK broke another one of my fluid tubes, my circuits will fail one by one. _

"Ready to spill the beans?" The undead lord said.

"You'll never know,"

"You never give up, do you?"

SK continued to torture me. Soon, my left eye was bruised shut and the left optical sensor broke. Every inch of my body was covered with dents. When he finally released his grip on me, I didn't have the strength to stand anymore. I needed the support of the wall to actually stand straight. At this point, Chiro and the others appeared.

"Destroy him," SK ordered. Then, he added, "And make it sting,"

"Oh, we'll make it sting all right," Sprx said.

All of a sudden, Chiro fell and clutched his leg. 'It must be an infection,' I thought. The sight of seeing him in pain made my heart break.

"If you'll let me heal him, I'll tell you my secret," I said.

"How do I know if I can trust you?" SK replied.

"Mandarin can watch me."

"Fine. Make it quick,"

I levitated the unconscious boy to a room and settled down. Mandarin was watching every move I made. 'Chiro, I'm so sorry,' I thought sadly while I applied some cream on his leg. Soon, Chiro fainted from pain. I continued to wrap his leg with a bandage while I checked his pulse every three minutes.

"You have one hour left, Antauri," Mandarin told me.

I nodded at the orange monkey, but I couldn't help feeling guilty for hurting my son.

"Chiro, please be all right," I whispered.


	19. Chiro wakes up

Skater: Hi!

Chiro: Please review!

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I sat with Chiro for about twenty minutes. The teen didn't move an inch. He was so still that sometimes I thought that he wasn't breathing. It scared and frightened me. Chiro couldn't die because of me. I wouldn't allow it.

"Looks like you did more damage than you thought," Mandarin smirked. "Hurting the one you love... how tragic,"

I wasn't in a mood. I glared at the orange monkey. He was annoying me. However, I didn't reply. If I did, I'll just be starting an argument. Chiro's life was more important than arguing. I turned my attention back to my son. My heart was breaking. I didn't care if he was evil. He's still my son no matter what. I went to meditate. No, I tried to meditate. But I was so dizzy. My broken fluid tube was killing me. It hurt a lot. I winced slightly and closed my eyes for a brief moment. When I opened them, all I saw was darkness and Chiro. Where's Mandarin? He couldn't have left his post.

"Boo,"

I jumped in surprise. He was behind me.

"Chiro's dying," he said, pointing to the boy. "Monkey Mind Scream can cause a lot of damage to a human,"

I ran to the unconscious boy. His forehead was also bleeding. I gently touched it. Blood was on the tip of my finger.

"Chiro," I whispered. "I'm so sorry,"

I sat with him for another fifty minutes. He was partly healed, thanks to the Power Primate. I sighed. A little while later, he started to open his eyes. Instead of seeing baby blue, I saw crimson red. He sat up, and the first thing he saw was me.

"Antauri," he growled. "What are you doing here?"

My face broke into a smile. He was awake at last. Before I could speak, he shot me with his attack. I was taken aback. My body was thrown backwards. Gradually, the lightning bolt disappeared.

"Didn't see that coming, didja?" Chiro said, grinning.

"Chiro," I whispered, too weak to stand up. The impact added salt to the wound. "Why?"

"I'm a servant of Skeleton King. Not a protector of Shuggazoom,"

"You once were. You still are."

"No, I'm not! Shut up, or I'll deactivate you,"

I got up slowly, but not steadily. I needed the wall for support.

"Chiro," I began. "You don't have to do this,"

"I don't have to. But I want to,"

"You're making a wrong decision,"

"I make my own decisions,"

"I know that this is not you. Evil is taking over your heart. Don't let it control you,"

"Oh, I'm moving at my own will, Antauri. Who can stop me?"

"I can,"


	20. Antauri's anger

Skater: Hi!

Chiro: When and how are you going to turn me back to the good side?

Skater: Maybe I'll keep you to the dark side forever. I have no idea how to turn you back to good.

Chiro: … Please review!

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"You?" Chiro scoffed. "Do you think that you can stop me? You're just a puny little primate, weak and powerless. Look at you. You can't even walk a straight line, let alone run. I have power, Antauri. More power than you could ever imagine. I could destroy you in seconds,"

I stared at him in confusion. If he had enough power to destroy me, why not do it now? The answer is simple: Chiro didn't have the heart to that means SK hadn't fully unlocked his evil because he didn't have any.

"Well, time to go back," Chiro shrugged. "And you're coming with me,"

"No. We'll end this here," I said.

"Who do you think you are? You will die, Antauri."

"I will, but it's worth it,"

"You're just being silly,"

"I'm not,"

Before Chiro could respond, the other monkeys came into the room.

"What's taking so long, Chiro?" Nova asked.

"Antauri here wants to fight. Back me up,"

"Fight?" Otto said, laughing. "You're so bruised and battered; I don't think that you could even pack a punch,"

Antauri didn't say anything, but his determined expression made Otto shut up.

"Fight Chiro, and make it sting," SK said, walking into the room. He looked as evil as ever.

"Oh, I'll make it sting, all right," the teen replied, cracking his knuckles.

Mandarin handed him his two gauntlets.

"They've been fixed," he said, then added, "And upgraded."

Chiro shot him an evil grin.

"Ghost claw attack!"

Antauri charged forward, his violet claws as sharp as ever. Unfortunately, Chiro didn't see that coming. The claws made contact with his arm. The shirt tore a little bit and blood dripped out. Enraged, the teen sent a powerful 'Monkey Fu' to his father. The red and black beam's power was so great that Antauri couldn't dodge it. He was slower than usual, due to the damage that was done to his body. The silver monkey was swept off his feet as he crashed into a wall. Despite the pain, Antauri got up bravely and continued fighting.

"Phase and Daze!"

The primate phased through Chiro. The teen cried out in pain as his nerves immediately reacted to Antauri's ghost form.

"You're gonna pay," Chiro growled.

He activated the sword, attempting to stab it through Antauri. The silver primate dodged a few of the attacks, but not all.

"Lightning Kick!"

Antauri didn't see that coming. He fell to the floor and clutched his torso in pain. Chiro smirked. Without hesitation, he thrust the sword into the primate's head. Antauri screamed in agony, not because of the electric shock, but because of the broken fluid tube. Yep, another fluid tube was broken. Miraculously, Antauri wasn't deactivated.

_There isn't much time left, _he thought to himself. He glared at SK, anger and hatred flowing through him. SK was the one that made Chiro suffer; he was the one that tortured Chiro when Antauri was trapped in the Maze of Bones. SK was going to pay dearly for this. But the anger soon disappeared when he saw Chiro. The good Chiro.

"Only you can do it, Antauri. Bring me back to the good side," the good side of Chiro said before transforming into the evil one.

"You're going to feel that you never existed," Antauri said softly to SK. He was as scary as Nova when he was angry.

"Too weak to stand?" Chiro said, smirking.

The monkey didn't reply. Instead, he stood up and shot Chiro. The boy fainted. _Chiro, no! _he thought after realizing what he had done.

"Skeleton King," Antauri said. "Be prepared to meet your fate,"


	21. The light bulb solution

Skater: Hi!

Chiro: Thank you for the reviews!

Skater: Yep! :D You made a difference in my life! Anyway, please continue reviewing!

Chiro: Enjoy the chapter!

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"Over my dead body!" Mandarin cried, protecting his master. He pulled out another pair of gauntlets and placed them on his hand. The other monkeys joined in, all activating their weapons.

"Sting Ring!"

The yellow vibrations shot out from Nova's giant fists. Antauri managed to dodge them all. His anger was building up inside him, and there was only one thing on his mind: Turn the others back to normal and destroy SK. First, he had to find the source of Chiro's evil.

"Double monkey attack!"

Sprx and Gibson both charged towards the silver monkey, eyes filled with hatred. Antauri kicked them in the stomach, sending them flying backwards.

"Energy Saw Strike!"

The silver monkey used his shield to block Otto's energy attack, and the electric rays were sent back to Otto when they made contact with the purple shield. The green monkey hit the floor with a thud, eyes closed.

"Lady Tomahawk!"

Uh oh. Nova was angry, and when she's angry, her attacks are impossible to dodge. Antauri was no exception. The ground under him rumbled and shook like there was an earthquake. The stones on the ceiling fell, and one hit the silver monkey on the back, damaging his jetpack.

"Monkey Mind Scream!"

The gold simian covered her ears from the screech of her angry brother, but the sound was too much to bear. She fainted soon after. Mandarin watched in horror. He was the only one left. The monkey team was defeated by one simian. He growled.

"Sword of the nine dragons!"

He used this attack before, but now, he didn't multiply. He became bigger, stronger and most of all, faster. A monkey like that could pin Antauri down easily. But the silver simian wasn't about to give up. Not when Chiro's still evil. He needed to bring Chiro back. Antauri vowed that he would do everything in his power to bring his son back to his senses. Antauri didn't care about his broken fluid tubes, although they made him dizzy. He didn't care about his dented body or scrambled circuit_. SK won't take my family away from me. I won't let him torture them,_ Antauri thought, gritting his teeth. _I will continue fighting no matter what he does to me._

Mandarin gave out a battle cry and sprinted forward. His tail transformed into a knife and the tip glistened under the light. Wait… what? Light? So… there was electricity in the citadel? Antauri glanced at the light bulb above his head. An idea started forming in his mind. He jumped up, smashing the light bulb. The glass pieces pierced into his body, but he didn't give a thought about it. Sparks flew out of the wires from the electricity on the ceiling. The silver monkey activated the flash light in his head and floated up.

"Come get me, Mandarin," he challenged.

The orange monkey jumped upwards. When he touched Antauri's hand, the silver monkey grabbed the wires. Electric shocks shot through Antauri and made contact with Mandarin. Both monkeys screamed in pain. Mandarin dropped down on the floor, unconscious. Antauri landed on the floor with a soft thud. The electric had drained most of his energy. He leaned on the wall, panting. The silver simian looked around the room. SK had disappeared. Wasting no time, Antauri ran out of the room, his head protesting in pain.


	22. Sk's pets, Sylvia and Leo

Skater: Hi! National day is coming so I have 5 days off! Yay! I can update more!

Chiro: When are we gonna get out of the Citadel?

Skater: … I'm going to drag this story forever, aren't I?

Chiro: Yes.

Skater: Maybe chapter 25? I don't know when I'm going to stop torturing your poor lil' daddy…

Chiro: Idiot.

Skater: You're lucky that this story is going to end soon cuz I've got a request and need to work on another story!

Chiro: Fine. Please review!

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_**Antauri's POV**_

It was dark and I felt dizzy. I continued running although I knew that most of my energy from the energy cell was used up. I had to find SK and had to find the source of Chiro's evil. I just _had_ to. If I didn't, he would be evil for the rest of his life. He'd bow down to the dark ones. He'd be a slave… a prisoner of his own nightmare.

_Remember, Antauri. It is your mission to protect the Chosen One from SK and his evil._

_Yes, master, I vow that I'll protect him with my life._

The promise I made to Master Xan… I had broken that promise. I let him down… I had let Chiro down.

_I've failed you, my Chosen One…_

Then I stopped running and bumped into something. It was a wall. I had reached a dead end. But… how? The Citadel was practically endless. Unless… I turned around and saw SK. He grinned at me, scanning me with his red eyes.

"Look at you, Antauri. A worthless creature with no intention of giving up. Give me Chiro's remaining soul in your body and I will spare you." He said.

"You won't have anything of his," I hissed. "I won't give it to you even if I die."

"Really?" he said, eyes narrowing.

SK waved his staff and two snakes trapped in a cage appeared.

"Meet my two pets, Sylvia and Leo. Once their poison is in your body, you will shut down permanently," the villain explained.

I remained silent and activated my claws. Growling, I cried:

"Ghost Claw Attack!"

He ducked like a professional.

"Go." He ordered.

Sylvia and Leo jumped out from their cage. They hissed and chased after me. I scratched Leo's back, but he didn't seem to be in pain. Their skins were thick. As thick as a man's leg, I would say. Sylvia wrapped herself around my leg and I fell with a thud. She stopped me from moving and Leo slithered up to me, opening his jaw. I tried to shake off Sylvia, but she was heavy. I punched away Leo and stood up with Sylvia still coiled around my leg and tried to pry her off with my claws. She just squeezed harder. It was pain… and I screamed. Before she sank her fangs into my body, I activated the little 'fan' at the end of my tail and cut it into her body. She slithered off with a mark left on her skin. Leo, who has just recovered, slithered towards me and aimed its fangs at my torso. I activated my shield and he got electrocuted. Then he lay on the floor, motionless. Sylvia slithered from behind and opened her mouth. She hissed so loudly that my ears hurt. I covered them, trying to get the sound out of my head. Seeing that I covered my ears, she hissed louder. I groaned in pain. Then after a minute or two, she stopped and I fell to my knees. The sound was still ringing in my ears. I winced. Then Sylvia attacked me from behind. She sank her teeth into my left arm and held on. I pulled her off me and threw her aside. Holding my injured arm, I watch her hit the wall hard. I heard SK muttering something under his breath.

"Sylvia's poison isn't as effective as Leo's. You'll just experience pain in your chest and arm, that's all." SK said.

Then I noticed something. It was his staff. There was a sort of orb attached to it. Inside it, it was filled with green energy waves. Quickly, I used my tail and snatched it out of his grasp. I got the orb off the staff and examined it only for a second. The undead lord sent a purple beam at me and I went flying back with the orb still in my hand. Then it rolled out to the middle of the room. SK walked to the orb. He was getting closer… closer…

With the last burst of energy, I ran towards it in the opposite direction.

"Monkey Mind Scream!"

The undead lord was thrown backwards and he hit the throne. I grabbed the orb and sprinted out of the room and was blocked by the evil Hyper Force.


	23. Come back to me!

Skater: I just can't stop updating! And sorry for uploading the wrong chapter… It got really messed up.

Chiro: Ya, it did. So, what did you do tonight?

Skater: I plan to update ALL night!

Chiro: Well, I need to go to sleep.

Skater: No way! You get your butt over here and act! Or else…

Chiro: Bye bye!

Skater: *Ties Chiro up and hangs him on the edge of the cliff* Oh well. Please review!

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**Antauri's POV**

Chiro was in really bad shape. His arms were injured and were bleeding. His hyper mode uniform was stained. He was losing a lot of blood and looked pale. Almost as pale as a ghost.

"Where do you think you're going?" Sprx asked, cracking his knuckles.

I had to break the orb. But if I smashed it against the wall, the others will get it and snatch it back.

"Sprx, I don't want to fight you." I said.

"Well, I wanna fight you! Magno bolt beam splitter!"

I dodged the small red energy shots and sent a kick to the red monkey. He got hit and flew backwards, hitting the concrete hard wall. Gibson suffered the same fate. Nova was a much harder nut to crack. She hit me twice in the face with her fists and almost snatched the orb away.

"Mega Monkey Paw!"

I attacked her from the ceiling and hit Nova on the head. She landed a few meters away from Sprx.

"Energy Saw attack!"

Otto's now red saws were ready to cut me into two. I dodged and blocked his attack, the saws barely missing me by an inch. He got thrown backwards by me and soon fainted after that. Chiro was last. He looked angry, hurt and most of all… sad. However, his sorrow soon turned to hatred for me.

"Monkey Fu!"

It was the most powerful monkey fu he had unleashed. I couldn't dodge it. No one could. I continued standing up, holding back the urge to get thrown against the wall. I closed my eyes and gritted my teeth as hard as I could to stop a groan to escape my lips. I held the orb tightly and firmly, not letting it to slip through my fingers.

Finally, Chiro's attack ceased to a stop and the teen was panting. I fell to the floor, the orb still in my grasp. I needed to break it. It was made from VERY thick glass, and breaking it would seem impossible.

_But nothing is impossible with the Power Primate…_

I started to have doubts. Is that sentence really true? Or was it just made up by Master Xan? He was evil, after all.

_No, Antauri. You know that's not true… right?_

Yes, that's not true. I can break the glass. If only I knew how.

"Why don't you give up, Antauri? Look at you, weak helpless and alone. Why don't you just let me take the orb and we'll spare your life." Chiro said.

I stood up, leaning against the wall for support, still holding the orb with both hands as if it was a baby. I couldn't hand it to Chiro.

"I won't give up because… because I won't let you be trapped in the darkness. I'll get you out Chiro… and you will finally be free. You don't have to walk around in circles. I'll guide you, but you have to listen to me. Listen to your heart and do what your conscience tells you to do. Chiro… fight SK's evil. I know you can do it because I believe in you. You've trained well for this… and you can get out of the maze you're in. Activate the Inner Primate in you and follow the light. I won't give up because I love you too much for you to be lost in the darkness. Fight him, Chiro. Come back to the good side for Shuggazoom… and for… _me._ "

His eyes narrowed and he glared at me with pure hatred.

"Do you think that you can save me?" He spat.

"No, but the orb can."

It started to crack by itself. The green energy inside started to divide itself into five. Each part entered the members of the hyper force. I smiled. They screamed and started changing back. I could also hear SK scream.

"Leo, attack!" He cried.

I turned around but it was too late. Leo sank its teeth into my body, creating two small holes. Then it slithered away. I groaned. Leo's poison was strong… too strong. Then I started seeing doubles and a dizzy spell hit me again. Only this time, it cut right through my soul. I groaned again, not bothering to swallow it down my throat this time. Then I collapsed to my knees. My circuits were shutting down… one by one. The last thing I saw was Chiro running towards me before the final circuit stopped working.


	24. It's already too late, Chiro

Skater: Helloooooooo!

Chiro: I HATE YOU FOR LIFE! Why do ya have to kill Antauri?

Skater: Chill, dude. All stories have happy endings.

Chiro: That's a relief.

Skater: Except for mine!

Chiro: What!

Skater: I'm in a bad mood, so I'll kill if I wanna.

Chiro: If you dare…!

Skater: Antauri fans will be my death if I killed him. Hmm… depends… Just read on to find out.

Nova: Please review!

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_**Chiro's POV**_

I saw Antauri lean against the wall. I saw him clutching his head. Then an amazing power corrupted me. My heart was filled with pain and sorrow. My fangs started to disappear and so did my evil hyper force outfit. I also saw Leo inject his poison into Antauri's body. That was when I knew there was no more hope for him. Leo's poison was deadly. It killed anybody in just a few minutes. No one ever survived his poison before, not even the strongest and healthiest man on Shuggazoom. The next thing that happened was terrifying. The silver monkey began to fall. I couldn't believe my eyes.

"Antauri?" I called out before running towards my father.

He smiled at me. His white pupils started fading away slowly, just like that time when he had no more battery left in the silver body.

"Antauri?" I repeated.

No answer this time. The cobalt blue orbs were already blank. But the smile always remained there. Soon, my eyes stung with tears and my heart had a heavy stone on it. Antauri had sacrificed so much to turn me back to the Chiro I once was. I was blind… blind enough not to notice that he had lost his life because of me.

"Chiro, we have to get him back to the Med Bay immediately." Gibson said, his face grim. I nodded and carried Antauri's lifeless body to the Brain Scrambler. Sprx piloted it and we were all silent on the way back. The only sound that was made was from me. I was crying and Nova tried to console me in vain. My face was now wet and sticky. I sniffed then cried again.

"Here we are. Home," Sprx announced as he landed the Brain Scrambler on the robot's head. Antauri was in perfect shape when he left to find us and look at all the damage I've caused to him. Even if I was evil, Antauri still cared for me. He bandaged my leg when I was injured and stayed with me until I had awakened. He had faith in me all this time. He didn't deserve this… I did. I deserved to be kicked around like a rag doll, I deserved to be beaten up like crap… but not Antauri. I mean, the team would still be okay if I left and nothing would change. Antauri had leadership skills to lead the team just like Mandarin once had.

_If you die, Antauri, I'll never be able to forgive myself ever. Wake up, Antauri… wake up._

We went to the sick bay and I gently placed Antauri down on the table. Was that smile on his face… a sign that he could finally rest in peace? No, no, Chiro, don't you dare ever think of that. Antauri will live. I know it.

"Can I stay?" I asked softly, hoping that Gibson would say yes.

"No," he answered. "Chiro, you know that I need to concentrate on my work, right?"

"Yea… But I won't disturb you. I'll just stand in a corner. You won't even know I'm here, I swear."

"That's no excuse."

"But Gibson…!"

"I said no."

"I need to stay with Antauri!"

"Chiro, you'll get to see him later. Now go get some rest, all right?"

I sighed exasperatedly, giving up. Arguing with Gibson was just a waste of time. I walked out of the Med Bay and took a shower. When I was done, Nova tucked me in bed. Usually, that was Antauri's job, and I expected his fingers to comb through my hair… but he wasn't here.

"We'll wake you up once Gibson's done, I promise." Nova said, though I didn't look convinced.

It was usually Antauri or Otto's job to cheer me up. Otto would tell me one of his jokes and play goofy. For the silver monkey, it was a completely different matter. He would ask me why I'm sad and give me advice so I would calm down and think about the matter. A tear rolled down my face. Then I cried myself to sleep.

'_Chiro, wake up!"_

_I slowly opened my eyes and found myself in a forest. There was just darkness and no light. It terrified me. I could make out the outline of the trees and grass._

"_Antauri, are you there?" I called out. "Is anyone here? I'm cold and scared."_

"_I'm here and will always be with you, Chi. You don't have to be scared."_

"_Who's there? Is that you, Antauri?"_

"_Yes, it is me."_

_A black figure appeared. It had olive-green eyes._

"_Antauri!"_

_I ran to hug him. He hugged back without hesitation._

"_Chiro, it's so good to see you again," he said._

"_Again? Where have I been?"_

"_You were walking in the darkness and working with SK."_

"_Oh… sorry bout that."_

"_I don't blame you. You had no more strength to fight back. I understand,"_

"_But look at the damage I did to you. I even broke your optical sensor! Antauri, how can you find the heart to give me?"_

"_Forgiveness was the first thing I learnt at the Veran Mystics, Chi. Besides, it's really not your fault."_

_I looked down with shame and started to cry again. I hurt the one I loved so much. A cold metal hand lifted up my chin gently._

"_Chiro, my time is almost up. I have to go." Antauri said. _

"_Go where? Don't leave. I don't wanna lose you again,"_

"_Go back to the Nether World. But Chi, remember one thing: I'll always be with you no matter what. Be strong, Chiro. Promise me that."_

"… _Antauri… I-I promise,"_

_He smiled in satisfaction. The black figure started fading away. _

"_Will you be coming back to the robot with us?" I asked._

"_It depends on the Messiah. But the chances are higher. The Messiah will understand."_

_Antauri kissed me on the cheek just like a father would to his son. He slowly disappeared into nothing._

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I woke up with a smile. What a dream. Nova came in with Gibson, looking worried.

"Chiro, we really don't know how to tell you this but," Gibson started. "I'm afraid there's nothing I could do. His spirit isn't in the body anymore. He's… d-d…"

The blue monkey choked on the last word.

"We've tortured him too much, Chiro," Nova began. "The silver monkey's system couldn't take the damage. With two broken fluid tubes and Leo's poison, there's really no way to save him. I'm sorry, Chiro,"

I looked at them in dismay and my eyes started to tear again. Then I ran out of the room and into the Med Bay.


	25. Pouring out my feelings

Skater: Hiiiii! Today's National Day, so I'll treat you all with a chapter! And BTW, if Antauri fans want kill me, feel free to do that.

Chiro: … GET HER!

Skater: Wait. If you kill me, I wouldn't be able to update anymore, which means this story won't have a happy ending.

Chiro: She's got a point.

Skater: Yep! Please review! :D

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**Chiro's POV**

"Chiro, wait!" Nova called after me.

I ignored her and continued running. Tears flew from my face. Antauri couldn't die! No, I didn't want him to. If he left me, I'll be all alone. My father… how could I kill him…? I already killed my parents… but not a member of the monkey team.

_Murderer! You're a murderer!_ My head screamed.

I killed my own birth parents by accident. But not this time. I killed Antauri without knowing how much damage I caused.

_Antauri, you can't die. You promised me that you were back for good. You promised._

I typed in the code for the Med Bay. 87561.

"Access Denied." A mechanical voice said.

I tried again. Slower this time. 87561.

"Access Denied." It repeated.

What? How…? When did I change the code? I tried again and again. 87561. 87561. 87561. But I couldn't enter. Soon, impatience was building up in me. Darn door. Open up already! Can't you see that I wanna go inside!

"Thunder-," I cried before Gibson grabbed my hand.

"Chiro, we told you to slow down and wait for us." Gibson said.

"What's the code?" I asked, ignoring the blue monkey's comment.

"90875."

Soon, the door slid open and I glanced inside. Nothing looked different. So why did Gibson change the code?

"We'll leave you here, kid," Sprx said. "Come out when you're ready."

I nodded and the others left.

_I love you too much for you to be lost in the darkness. I will never give up._

How could I be so deaf to those words? Antauri never gave up on me… he believed in me… and most of all… _he loved me._

_Come back to me, Chiro. _

I didn't listen to him. I never did once when I was evil.

_I'll always be with you no matter what. Be strong, Chi. Promise me that._

I can't break the promise. But it was just a dream, right? It's not real. Dreams are never real.

_That's not true, Chiro. You've always dreamt of being a superhero. Look at you now. You're Shuggazoom's protector._

A lousy Shuggazoom protector, that is. I worked with the enemy for… err… maybe 3 days? I didn't count, but it definitely seemed like a long time. That means… I've also tortured Antauri for a long time… but he remained strong and positive, unlike me, a total failure. Sighing, I held the silver monkey's hand and cried my heart out. I hardly ever cried in my life, except for the time my parents died. Then I vowed that I'd b strong and not cry. So much for that vow I made. I continued crying for who knows how long before I ran out of tears.

"Antauri, you promised to be back for good. You promised," I whispered. "Don't die. You're my father. Please don't leave this world. I need you. I-I… I love you."

But those words were useless. Antauri didn't wake up. He never did. I traced the cracks I made on his torso. He wasn't silver anymore. He was… almost dull grey.

"Don't die. Don't leave me alone. Don't die." I said softly. "The team needs you. This can't be the end of your life. No, not yet. The Messiah hasn't claimed your soul. He doesn't do such a thing. Antauri, I live to see your smile. All those meditating and tactics lessons… all the battles we fought… This can't be the end. I can't accept the truth. I don't believe Gibson. I know you're somewhere in there. Wake up, Antauri. Wake up."

But he still lay there, motionless. I sniffed. No, no, Antauri didn't die the first time; he can't die the second time. Antauri tough; he could overcome anything.

_How about death? How about you beating him up into scrap metal? Can he overcome those?_

Yes, he could. Now all I've got to do is wait. And wait. And wait. I was sleepy and decided to lay beside Antauri for a while, just a while. And before I knew it, I fell asleep.


	26. Believe and wait

Skater: Hello.

Chiro: What's with the dull mood?

Skater: Our team lost the soccer match.

Chiro: You play soccer?

Skater: Yea.

Chiro: … Anyway, please review!

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"_Wake up, Chi, wake up,"_

_**I bet that I'm in the dream again. Only this time, I wasn't in a black forest. I was in a silver one. The trees were made out of metal and the fruits were shaped like musical notes. Whenever they touch each other, they always make a random tune. But the tune made by them was beautiful. The mi-fa-so notes practically hung in the air. The wind was like an invisible music instructor. It instructed the fruits on what play. Obediently, the note-like fruits would play a tune that no human would have thought of.**_

"_**Antauri, is that you?" I called out, my eyes scanning my surroundings. "Where are you?'**_

"_**I'm here."**_

_**The voice startled me so much that I practically jumped fifty feet in the air. Then my muscles tensed after a nanosecond. **_

"_**Are you coming back?" I asked. "You have to come back. You can't leave. I won't let you."**_

_**The black monkey chuckled softly. He stared at me with a playful glint in his eye. **_

"_**Of course I'm coming back, Chi. You just have to wait for me, that's all." He replied.**_

"_**For how long?"**_

"_**A few days, maybe. Or maybe hours. It depends on Yeshua."**_

"_**Why can't it be a few minutes?"**_

"_**Because you can't rush things that you don't understand. It took you some time to bring me back to the silver monkey's body. But you didn't know how you're going to do that. Yeshua has to go through a complicated process to bring me back to my body."**_

_**I sighed. Life was so unfair sometimes. I wanted him back ASAP. **_

"_**I'll be back with you soon, Chi," Antauri assured. "I promise."**_

_**Then he disappeared. The silver forest continued playing its special melody although it didn't know how sad I was. Slowly, the mi-fa-so turned to do-re-mi. It played a low tune, like the one that was played in the beginning of an orchestra. A silver bird landed on my shoulder.**_

_Chirp chirp chirp. _

_**Strangely, it had olive-green eyes and feathers that shone in the sun. It was so bright. I squinted. It was special, not just like any other sparrow or pigeon. **_

_Chirp chirp chirp._

_**Was this a sign of some sort? I shrugged and it landed on the floor. **_

_Chirp chirp chirp._

_**It sang its special tune with a steady rhythm. It joined in with the forest. They worked beautifully to create a piece of music. I smiled and looked up in the sky. Antauri was coming back. That was wonderful news. I've got to tell the others. The bird walked to me and gently bit me on the finger. It stung a little, just a little. It was like a sleeping medicine or something. I started to fall asleep slowly.**_

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"Chiro, wake up!"

I groaned groggily and slowly opened my eyes. Otto was shaking me awake with much concern in his eyes. I sat up and rubbed my eyes. Before I could open my mouth to yawn, Sprx told me:

"Kid, you've been sleeping for a few hours now and your eyes are swollen. Gibson will apply some cream so stay still, okay?"

I nodded my head and the smell of medical oil filled the room. I wrinkled my nose. I always hated that smell since birth. Once the scientist finished his job, I jumped up onto the table happily.

"Antauri's comin back!"

The other monkeys stared at me in shock.

"Chiro, are you sure?" Nova asked.

I nodded my head eagerly and grinned.

"Look, kid, we miss Antauri too, but-," Sprx began.

I cut him off before he could continue. No, Sprx was wrong. And so was Gibson. Antauri wasn't dead. I didn't believe them.

"No, Sprx. I saw him! In my dreams! His coming back!"

The monkeys looked unsure. They exchanged confused looks. Why wouldn't anyone believe me?

"Chiro, they're just dreams. They do not predict the future. You just miss him too much, that's all," Gibson explained.

Somehow, after a few minutes of arguing, they managed to shake the truth out of me.

"Miracles don't happen a second time." Nova stated. "Sure Antauri did come back for the first time, but now, his truly gone."

"Yea, Chiro. You must be hallucinating." Otto said.

"Antauri's coming back, I'm telling you! Why won't you believe me?" I yelled.

"We do… but it seems impossible…" Gibson eyed the silver monkey. "Do you think that anyone would survive that?"

He was referring to the damage we caused.

"Antauri can survive anything. He's your brother, why don't you want him back?" I continued to argue.

"It's not that," Sprx started losing his patience. "It's just that we don't believe. Sure we miss him, but you hafta learn to accept the truth. That's one thing that you haven't mastered."

"But…" my lower lip started to tremble a little. "Don't you have hope that he'll be back?"

"We do," Otto whispered softly. "But it seems hard to believe."

I got off the table. My hope seemed to vanish.

"But just wait for a few hours, you'll see. He'll be back, he promised," I said.

"In your dreams, Chiro. Antauri was in your dreams. This is reality. There's a difference, you know." Sprx said.

"Dreams do come true. Antauri's coming back!" I fought back. "We'll see soon. In a few days, or maybe hours."

"You're just dreaming, Chiro!" Sprx shook me by the shoulders. "You're imagining everything!"

I sighed exasperatedly. The monkey team was so hard to convince.

"No," I said softly. "You'll see. Antauri appeared to me in my dreams and promised."

I stormed out of the Med Bay. What if they were right? What if Antauri's never coming back? What if…? No, Sprx was wrong! But maybe I was imagining. Suppose I was hallucinating because of sorrow? I locked myself in my room and soaked my pillow with tears.

_Antauri is coming back! Believe, Chiro, believe! You promised to be strong! IF you keep your promise, Antauri will keep his too. _

Despite my attempts to convince myself, I really wasn't sure.

_You have to believe, Chi. You have to believe._

The voice in my head sounds so familiar… just like Antauri.

_And all you've got to do now is wait._


	27. Chiro's birthday!

Skater: Hi!

Antauri: Where's Chiro?

Skater: Where did you come from? I eliminated you!

Antauri: You will never kill me, you know that.

Skater: Okay, go to Shuggazoom's tallest cliff and you'll see him hanging by the edge.

Antauri: *Runs off*

Skater: Please review! :)

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**Antauri's POV**

I saw everything… Chiro telling his feelings to the silver monkey, him sleeping beside my body and how the others tried to convince him that I wasn't coming back. But I was with my son the whole time. I was patting him on the back when he snuggled next to the silver primate. Poor Chiro, having to go through this when he is still fourteen.

"Antauri, I've made my decision."

I turned around and saw Yeshua. He was wearing a robe and smiling down at me. I smiled back.

"I get to go back?" I asked hopefully.

The messiah didn't reply immediately.

"Your friends need you, Antauri. You've made a brave sacrifice, and I you need some rest. May father watch over you and the monkey team," he started. "But please note that getting you into that body will take a lot of your energy, and you'll feel pain for a few minutes."

I nodded eagerly. If I could get back to Chiro, I'll do whatever it takes for me to get back into that body.

"Seeing your condition," Yeshua eyed me. I was covered in bruises and cuts and gashes. "I think that you should wait a few more weeks before returning back to Shuggazoom."

"No," I protested. "Chiro is in a lot of pain. He can't keep blaming himself for my departure. I need to ease his pain. I want to go back."

Yeshua sighed. With a smile, he said,

"I'll take you back, just close your eyes and wait."

I obeyed his order. Yeshua muttered a few words put his hand on my shoulder. There was a bright light and I found myself falling gently back to the futuristic city. Then I was teleported to the Med Bay and felt myself being pulled into the body. When I made contact with it, my soul was practically cut into half and I felt pain, but that was nothing compared to Chiro's tortures. A force was pushing me fiercely inside the dented body. I didn't restrain the force and before I knew it, a sharp pain shot through my soul and I was engulfed by darkness.

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"He's waking up!"

That was Nova. I slowly opened my eyes and saw four blurry figures. I moaned and rubbed my head. My circuitry…

"Antauri, you there?"

Otto voice for sure. I sat up quickly and felt dizzy again. This was not a good time for sudden movements. Finally, my vision cleared and I saw the team. They tackled me with hugs and cries of joy when Sprx said,

"Okay, let's not be too loud. The kid's still sleepin'."

Otto could hardly contain his excitement. He jumped around.

"Then let's wake Chiro up!" He suggested.

"Shh, Otto!" Nova gently scolded. "its night time and tomorrow's Chiro's birthday, right?"

The green monkey nodded, confused on where this is going.

"I mean if we surprise Chiro with Antauri's return, he'll forget about everything he did in the Citadel. We'll give him the best birthday surprise ever." Sprx explained for Nova. She shot the pilot a grateful smile, and Sprx's eyes turned into pink heart shapes.

"Then let's get to work, shall we?" Gibson asked.

"Shouldn't you rest? You had a long day too." I said worriedly.

"Who cares? We can sleep later. Now let's get you fixed up and you'll be as good as new tomorrow!" Otto answered enthusiastically.

We got to work. Otto replaced my optical sensor and fixed up the cracks. Sprx and Nova put up the decorations in the Command Center and Gibson gave me a new energy cell. He helped Otto repair me too. In return, I explained how I came back.

"Now, all that's left is your helmet and your two broken fluid tubes." Otto said, examining the back of my head. He rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

"I'll fix it, just gimme half an hour." He said cheerfully.

"And to fix the fluid tubes, you'll have to enter this," the blue monkey pointed to a tube filled with purple liquid. "Once you're inside, your fluid tubes will connect itself back together again in forty-five minutes."

Another one of Gibson's inventions, I knew it. The scientist has a special talent, just like everyone else on the team.

"Meanwhile, I'll put you to sleep while you heal," Gibson stated, injecting the long needle in me.

I started to feel drowsy and slowly closed my eyes.

'_Chiro, I'll meet you tomorrow. Sleep well, my son.'_

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"Here, that's the last balloon. We're done!" Sprx cried in relief as he tied the end of a white balloon.

"Not so fast, S-P-R-X 77. You still haven't thought of how many gifts we're gonna receive outside the robot. This year, you're responsible for wrapping them, remember?" Nova reminded Sprx

The red monkey groaned. Wrapping up gifts were the worst part, but he'll do it for the kid. And what's so bad about wrapping? You get your fingers all sticky from the tape and you'll have to wrap the gift no matter how big or small it is. And one wrong move and the fragile present will be spoilt. Plus, Gibson needs to examine the presents first, so Sprx will have to wait for a LONG time.

_Ding._

He looked towards the oven and put on two mittens (which he hated) and carefully took out the cake.

"It's Antauri's turn to put the icing on," Nova said. "Keep it warm first."

Nodding, the red monkey carefully placed the cake on the table and left for the torture of wrapping gifts. Let's just hope that nobody gave anything small and fragile.

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I woke up forty-five minutes later and was feeling as good as new. Gibson opened the tube for me and I put on my helmet. He smiled.

"It's your turn, Antauri." He told me.

I was puzzled, than realized what he was talking about. Returning the smile, I ran to the kitchen and found the orange icing. There was already cream on the cake and the rest of the monkeys crowded around me. Carefully, I wrote 'Chiro' on the cake and allowed Otto to do the rest.

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**Chiro's POV**

I slept in and groaned sleepily. Sprx ran into my room and told me,

"Chiro, get dressed quick!"

I didn't ask why. Now that Antauri's gone, my life is also empty so who hack cares about why Sprx wanted me downstairs. After brushing my teeth and popping two mints into my mouth, I walked down to the Command Center.

"It's your birthday, Chiro!" Otto shouted with joy. "There are a lot of presents waiting for you!"

"Thanks, guys. But living with my family is the best present I could ask for. Seeing you alive and well are also the things that make me happy so there's no need for presents, really." I said.

"Oh really?" Nova cocked her head to the left. "Okay, Antauri, you can go to your room now!"

The silver monkey appeared out of a corner. I ran to him happily.

"Antauri, is that really you?" I croaked.

"It's me, Chi. I'm back."

I hugged him and without knowing it, carried him up in the air. I almost squeezed the air outta him, but he didn't really mind.

"Happy birthday, Chi." I hear Antauri whisper.

I was so happy and cried. Antauri saw this and I put him down.

"Don't cry," he whispered. "It's your birthday, Chiro. Celebrate. You deserve a break."

A rumbling sound filled the robot.

"Can we eat now?" Otto whined. "I'm hungry."

I laughed and cut the cake. Let's just say that we all had fun until night time. SK didn't attack, fortunately. He needed a break too. We sat on the robot's shoulders after celebrating and just kept quiet for a moment.

"Thanks guys," I said. "This is the best birthday ever!"

"No prob, kid. Which did you like, the cake or the present?" Sprx said.

"Both. But I'm glad that we're a perfect family again."

Everybody stared at me and I blushed, suddenly embarrassed by all the attention.

"Yea," Otto said. "I'm glad too, Chiro."

Soon, we were all hugging each other like a family. The best day ever, the usual ending. No, our story doesn't end here.

Anyway, the rest left and only Antauri was left. He was gazing up at the stars.

'I'm glad that you're back, dad." I said.

"I'm glad to be back."

Antauri told me the whole story about how he came back.

"Antauri… the day you crossed my path and changed my life, I'll never forget the day I met you and the monkey team." I said, recalling.

"You've changed my life too, Chi. Thank you."

By the time we went back, the silver primate looked pretty worn out.

"Ya can sleep in tomorrow, Antauri. Get more rest, okay?" I said, eye filling with concern. "I'll make sure that Otto doesn't go hungry in the morning."

Antauri chuckled and followed me back to bed. I snuggled deep into the covers and dad combed my hair playfully. I had missed these moments with father. Life was perfect now. Stifling a yawn, Antauri exited my room and into his.

"Good night, dad, I love you."

I could hear Antauri stop walking.

_I love you too, Chi. _

I was so lucky to be the Chosen One. After all we've been through; the monkey team will always be together.

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_**The story's ended, unfortunately! Please review and thank you for the 114 reviews! :DDD**_


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